US3760403A - Able strokes gas panel display having monogram type characters with matrix address - Google Patents

Able strokes gas panel display having monogram type characters with matrix address Download PDF

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Publication number
US3760403A
US3760403A US00184743A US3760403DA US3760403A US 3760403 A US3760403 A US 3760403A US 00184743 A US00184743 A US 00184743A US 3760403D A US3760403D A US 3760403DA US 3760403 A US3760403 A US 3760403A
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array
character
conductors
lines
character positions
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Expired - Lifetime
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US00184743A
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English (en)
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B Kippenhan
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International Business Machines Corp
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International Business Machines Corp
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J11/00—Gas-filled discharge tubes with alternating current induction of the discharge, e.g. alternating current plasma display panels [AC-PDP]; Gas-filled discharge tubes without any main electrode inside the vessel; Gas-filled discharge tubes with at least one main electrode outside the vessel
    • 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
    • G09G3/04—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of a single character by selection from a plurality of characters, or by composing the character by combination of individual elements, e.g. segments using a combination of such display devices for composing words, rows or the like, in a frame with fixed character positions
    • G09G3/06—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of a single character by selection from a plurality of characters, or by composing the character by combination of individual elements, e.g. segments using a combination of such display devices for composing words, rows or the like, in a frame with fixed character positions using controlled light sources
    • G09G3/10—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of a single character by selection from a plurality of characters, or by composing the character by combination of individual elements, e.g. segments using a combination of such display devices for composing words, rows or the like, in a frame with fixed character positions using controlled light sources using gas tubes

Definitions

  • the cells are arranged in character font areas in columns and rows at the intersections of groups of the conductor lines, the conductors being configured at the character positions to define linear cells constituting character font strokes or elements.
  • This invention relates to display matrices and more particularly to a plasma or gaseous discharge display characterized by matrix grids of such configuration as to yield linear areas of congruence at cross-over regions of the respective arrays of the matrix, so as to yield character stroke or font elements which are each addressable by a pair of conductors.
  • the display may be generated as a multiplicity of individual points corresponding to the cross-over areas of individual straight line conductors of a coordinate pair in the two arrays. While a display of this kind has great flexibility, a great many separately addressable conductors are needed to provide fine resolution. Alternatively, fewer conductors can be provided and a minimum number of dots such as, for example, a five by seven matrix, can be utilized for each character.
  • a character display may comprise a display panel having a voltage energizable displaymedium in a plane medially therewithin, first and second arrays of conductors in relatively outer planes of said panel embracing said medium, and circuits connected individually to said arrays to provide matrix initiation, maintenance and extinction of operative voltage stresses within the medium at configured areas of congruence between conductors of the first array with conductors of the second array.
  • the first array may comprise a plurality of conductor groups, each group corresponding to a column of character positions in said display
  • the second array may comprise a plurality of conductor groups, each group corresponding to a row of character positions individually corresponding with character positions of said columns of character positions, the conductors of the first group and the second group at said character positions being configured to have linear areas of congruence with each other in said character positions, the areas of linear congruence constituting character stroke positions individually selectable by matrix energization of a corresponding conductor in each of the first and second groups.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide a display as aforesaid in which problems of fabrication and construction are minimized.
  • Yet another object of the invention is to provide a display as aforesaid'wherein matrix conductors are provided with configured and/or salient conductor elements such that, although the separate conductors in one plane do not intersect or cross each other, they nevertheless can produce substantially intersecting or interleaved display lines.
  • Still another object of the invention is to provide a matrix display having complex land geometries in character positions which provide areas of matrix congruence yielding linear character font elements, without the necessity of cross-overs in either conductor array of the matrix.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagramatic representation of a gaseous discharge display having a character matrix panel in accordance with the invention.
  • FIGS. 2 and 3 show conductor patterns for the X and Y lines, respectively, within a character position of FIG. 1.
  • FIG. 4 shows a superposition of the patterns of FIGS. 2 and 3.
  • FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the approximate areas of congruence of the superposed patterns of FIG. 4.
  • FIG. 6 is a diagramatic showing of signal wave forms employed in the operation of the display of FIG. 1.
  • FIG. 7 is a diagramatic cross-section of the display panel of FIG. 1 taken about along a line corresponding to the position 7--7 shown in FIG. 4.
  • FIG. 1 there is illustrated a gaspanel indicated at 20 having a plurality of character positions 22.
  • the character positions are arranged in a grid having columns I, ll m, I through 1,1: m,n, and rows 1,1 1,1: through m,l-m,n.
  • the character positions in each row are connected by a plurality of X lines 24 26, 28 to X Selection, Drive and Sustain circuits 30.
  • the character positions of each column are connected by Y lines 32, 3 3, 36, 38, d0, M to Y Selection, Drive and Sustain circuits 44.
  • the gas panel 20 includes an illuminable gas such as a mixture of neon and argon within a sealed envelope, the vertical and horizontal conductor array being positioned in orthogonal relationship on opposite sides of the envelope.
  • Gas cells within the envelope are selectively ignited or tired during a write operation by applying to the associated pair of conductorscoincident signals having a magnitude sufficient to cause the gas voltage to exceed the breakdown voltage.
  • control potentials for write, read and erase operations are rectangular AC signals of the type described in copending application Ser. No. 885,086 for Improved Method and Apparatus for a Gas Display Panel filed by Tony N. Criscimagna et al. Dec. 15, 1969, and assigned to the assignee of the present application.
  • areas of illumination or potential illumination referred to as cells, are formed by the areas of congruence (i.e., coincident points) of opposing X and Y conductors on opposite sides of the envelope.
  • the X and Y conductors are so configured as to provide areas of congruence corresponding to linear font elements or character strokes, whereby a character with good definition can be formed with a minimum number of participating X and Y conductors.
  • FIGS. 2 and 3 show configuration of the X and Y conductors in the region of any of the character positions 22 of FIG. 1. The relationship of the patterns to any such area 22 is shown by the phantom outline in FIGS. 2-5.
  • the character position shown may be character position 2,2 of FIG. 1, in which case the X drive lines shown will be group 26 and the Y drive lines shown will be group 34.
  • line XI of group 26 is a through line having portions 50 and 52 extending to adjacent character positions in the same row and eventually to the X selection drive andsustain circuits 30.
  • Lines X2-X4 and Yl-Y4 extend through the matrix to circuits 30 and 44, respectively.
  • line X1 is configured to have portions 54, 56, 57 and 58, in voltage communication with through connections 50, 52 and comprising lands located for registration with companion lands in conductors Y1, Y2, Y3 and Y4 of FIG. 3 to define four corresponding cells or luminations sites in the gas panel.
  • each of the X lines of FIG. 2 has segments for registration with segments of Y lines in FIG.
  • line X3 of FIG. 2 has segments 66, 68, 69 and 70 positioned for registration with lines 72, 74, 75 and 76, respectively, of lines Y1, Y2, Y3 and Y4 of FIG. 3.
  • line segment 78 does not register with any line segment in FIG. 3 and is provided only for communication within line X3 and not as a gas cell or illumination site defining land in the display.
  • line X2 of FIG. 2 has segments 80, 82, 84, 86 which register with segments 88, 90, 92, 94 of line Y1, Y2, Y3 and Y4 of FIG. 3
  • line X4 of FIG. 2 has segments 96, 98, 100, 102 which register with segments 104, 106, 108, 110 of lines Y1, Y2, Y3 and Y4 of FIG. 3.
  • FIG. 4 shows the operative superposition of the patterns of FIGS. 2 and 3.
  • the individual shading patterns of FIGS. 2 and 3 are carried into FIG. 4 so that the double shaded areas show the approximate areas of congruence.
  • These areas are repeated in FIG. 5 in somewhat idealized form as areas A through M which correspond to the segments of FIGS. 2 and 3 as follows.
  • Energization of the various X and Y lines to achieve a display of a number of such characters is achieved by operation of X Selection Drive and Sustain circuits 30 and Y Selection Drive and Sustain circuits 44.
  • Circuits 30 and 44 may be of any suitable kind appropriate to operation of the display. The details of such circuits and their operation do not, per se, form a part of the present invention. Rather, the present invention provides an improvement in the electrode configuration of the display, and the consequent reduction of the number of X, Y lines in a matrix for providing a display of a given resolution.
  • the operation of one suitable X, Y matrix energization scheme is illustrated in summary form in the diagrams of FIG. 6.
  • Diagram A of FIG. 6 illustrates the net voltage difference across each of the cells or illumination sites during sustain operation.
  • a first square wavetrain is applied to all X conductors, and a second square wave train, displaced from the first square wave train, is applied to all of the Y conductors.
  • the result is a suare wave train potential difference of Diagram A across all gas cells equal to or greater than the sustain level.
  • the signal shown in Diagram B is applied to the selected cell.
  • the frequency of the first and second square wavetrains is reduced, and a pulse is superimposed on the first and second square wave trains as follows: the resultant signal on the selected X conductor has an increased magnitude of one polarity; the resultant signal on the selected Y conductor has an increased magnitude of the opposite polarity; the resultant signals on the nonselected X conductors have a decreased magnitude; and theresultant signals on the non-selected Y conductors have a decreased magnitude whereby the resulting potential difference across the selected cell, and only the selected cell, exceeds the ignition potential of the gas. All of the remaining gas cells receive a sustain signal level.
  • the sustain operation takes place with the leading edge of the potential difference wave train, and the write operation takes place at the trailing edge portion of this wave train whereby spill" over to adjacent cells is minimized.
  • the reduction in frequency during a write operation further separates these two events.
  • Diagram C shows the waveforms applied in sequence to a cell selected for erasure.
  • the first and second square wave trains are latched down, and a pulse is superimposed on the Y and X conductors as follows: the resultant signal on the selected X conductor is decreased; the resultant signal on the selected Y conductor is increased whereby the potential difference across the selected cell is reduced below the sustain level; the resultant signal on the non-selected X conductors is increased; whereas the signals on the non-selected Y conductors is decreased.
  • Gas panel operating arrangements of the above referenced kind rely on electric field and wall charge localization to define the boundaries of cells, or illumination sites in the gas.
  • the panel construction may comprise a dielectric envelope having walls 120, 122 and containing an ionizable illuminable gas 124, such as a mixture of neon and argon or nitrogen.
  • ionizable illuminable gas 124 such as a mixture of neon and argon or nitrogen.
  • Conductors embrace the dielectric envelope 120, 122 on opposite sides of, but separated by the dielectric from, the layer of gas 124. As shown, these conductors may be in the configuration shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.
  • the panel is completed by outer glass layers 126, 128, providing structural support for X, Y conductors and dielectric, and suitable connections from the X, Y conductors andcircuits 30 and 44.
  • the gas voltage exceeds a breakdown voltage, the gas becomes conductive through the voltage-induced production of electrons and gas ions, and the selected cell is said to have broken down.
  • electrons in the gas migrate to the wall which is temporarily positive, and the ions to the wall which is temporarily negative.
  • the charged particles collected on the dielectric walls, or wall charge produce a potential between the dielectric surface and the conductors which opposes the externally applied potential, and thus reduces the gas voltage.
  • the opposing wall charge increases until the gas voltage drops below that necessary to maintain the gas in a conductive state, and the current discharge is extinguished.
  • the voltage produced by the wall charge initially adds to that produced externally, so that the gas voltage is augmented.
  • the breakdown voltage of the gas is obtained at a lower value of external potential, a current discharge of opposite sense to the initial discharge is initiated, and a wall charge of opposite sign to the initial wall charge is established of sufficient magnitude to cause the discharge to be extinguished.
  • the wall charge condition may be maintained in the selected cell by application of a lower potential designed the sustain signal which, combined with the wall charge, causes the selected cells to be reignited and extinguished continuously at a relatively high frequency to maintain a continuous display.
  • the breakdown is between elements 69 and 65, and the illuminated cell is defined by the area of congruency of those elements. Light output for display-purposes is produced in that current.
  • a gas panel structure having an apertured spacer layer between the dielectric layers and operative to isolate the cells from each other physically may be utilized.
  • An aperturedconstruction, and a general energizing scheme therefor, have been described, for example, in U. S. Pat. No. 3,559,190 to Bitzer.
  • each character position has sixteen elements individually addressable by selective use of four X through conductors and four Y through conductors, and the character positions are individually addressable by selective use of the X and Y conductor groups.
  • a character display comprising a display panel having a voltage energizable display medium in a plane medially therewithin
  • first and second arrays of conductors in relatively outer planes of said panel embracing said medium, means connected individually to said arrays to provide matrix initiation, maintenance and extinction of operative voltage stresses within said medium at areas of congruence between conductors of said first array with conductors of said second array, the improvement comprising said first array comprising a plurality of multiple conductor groups, each group corresponding to a column of character positions in said display,
  • said second array comprising a plurality of multiple conductor groups, each group corresponding to a row of character positions individually congruent with character positions with said columns of character positions,
  • each of the conductors of said first group and said second group at said character positions being configured to have linear congruence with each conductor of the other group in said character positions
  • said land areas of at least one array including salient portions extending laterally of the corresponding conductor into congruence with land areas of the opposite array.
  • said land areas of at least one array including salient portions in the corresponding plane extending laterally of the corresponding conductors into congruence with land areas of the opposite array
  • each character position can have individually selectable character font elements of up to the product of the number of lines in the corresponding line group of said first array multiplied by the number of lines in the corresponding line group of said second array.
  • said dielectric comprises wall charge storage means operative to maintain self latching luminescent operation at said areas of congruence.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Control Of Indicators Other Than Cathode Ray Tubes (AREA)
  • Gas-Filled Discharge Tubes (AREA)
US00184743A 1971-09-29 1971-09-29 Able strokes gas panel display having monogram type characters with matrix address Expired - Lifetime US3760403A (en)

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US18474371A 1971-09-29 1971-09-29

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US (1) US3760403A (de)
JP (1) JPS4843225A (de)
CA (1) CA949162A (de)
DE (1) DE2236633A1 (de)
FR (1) FR2155406A5 (de)
IT (1) IT967243B (de)
NL (1) NL7210539A (de)

Cited By (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3831166A (en) * 1973-03-16 1974-08-20 Rockwell International Corp Display character pattern
US3903519A (en) * 1973-01-03 1975-09-02 Battelle Memorial Institute Electro-optical device for displaying a family of symbols
US3932860A (en) * 1974-04-25 1976-01-13 Timex Corporation Electro-optical display with circuitry for applying predetermined potentials to all display segments to effect activation of a selected segment only
US4040048A (en) * 1975-03-10 1977-08-02 Lien Ming T Display of mathematical equations
US4044280A (en) * 1975-10-30 1977-08-23 Ncr Corporation Multiplexed segmented character display
US4106009A (en) * 1977-01-17 1978-08-08 Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated Single substrate ac plasma display
US4110744A (en) * 1975-02-10 1978-08-29 Ebauches S.A. Passive electro-optic display cell
US4132984A (en) * 1976-05-20 1979-01-02 Liquid Xtal Displays Inc. Liquid crystal display
US4142182A (en) * 1976-02-25 1979-02-27 Bbc Brown, Boveri & Company, Limited Procedure for addressing of visual display devices
US4150363A (en) * 1977-05-26 1979-04-17 International Business Machines Corporation Reduced connection for 22 character gas panel
US4233602A (en) * 1977-03-30 1980-11-11 Hitachi, Ltd. Multi-matrix display system having matrix display panel with uncrossed connections on substrates
US4291307A (en) * 1979-03-19 1981-09-22 International Telephone And Telegraph Corp. Planar alphanumeric display
USRE31872E (en) * 1974-04-25 1985-04-23 Timex Corporation Electro-optical display with circuitry for applying predetermined potentials to all display segments to effect activation of a selected segment only
US4766345A (en) * 1987-05-20 1988-08-23 Telegenix, Inc. Gas discharge display panel having novel cathode assembly

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS57151398U (de) * 1981-03-14 1982-09-22
JPS62215405A (ja) * 1986-03-14 1987-09-22 Daifuku Co Ltd 入出庫用走行クレ−ンの制御方法

Cited By (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3903519A (en) * 1973-01-03 1975-09-02 Battelle Memorial Institute Electro-optical device for displaying a family of symbols
US3831166A (en) * 1973-03-16 1974-08-20 Rockwell International Corp Display character pattern
US3932860A (en) * 1974-04-25 1976-01-13 Timex Corporation Electro-optical display with circuitry for applying predetermined potentials to all display segments to effect activation of a selected segment only
USRE31872E (en) * 1974-04-25 1985-04-23 Timex Corporation Electro-optical display with circuitry for applying predetermined potentials to all display segments to effect activation of a selected segment only
US4110744A (en) * 1975-02-10 1978-08-29 Ebauches S.A. Passive electro-optic display cell
US4040048A (en) * 1975-03-10 1977-08-02 Lien Ming T Display of mathematical equations
US4044280A (en) * 1975-10-30 1977-08-23 Ncr Corporation Multiplexed segmented character display
US4142182A (en) * 1976-02-25 1979-02-27 Bbc Brown, Boveri & Company, Limited Procedure for addressing of visual display devices
US4132984A (en) * 1976-05-20 1979-01-02 Liquid Xtal Displays Inc. Liquid crystal display
US4106009A (en) * 1977-01-17 1978-08-08 Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated Single substrate ac plasma display
US4233602A (en) * 1977-03-30 1980-11-11 Hitachi, Ltd. Multi-matrix display system having matrix display panel with uncrossed connections on substrates
US4150363A (en) * 1977-05-26 1979-04-17 International Business Machines Corporation Reduced connection for 22 character gas panel
US4291307A (en) * 1979-03-19 1981-09-22 International Telephone And Telegraph Corp. Planar alphanumeric display
US4766345A (en) * 1987-05-20 1988-08-23 Telegenix, Inc. Gas discharge display panel having novel cathode assembly

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS4843225A (de) 1973-06-22
CA949162A (en) 1974-06-11
DE2236633A1 (de) 1973-04-05
FR2155406A5 (de) 1973-05-18
NL7210539A (de) 1973-04-02
IT967243B (it) 1974-02-28

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