GB1326384A - Visual display devices - Google Patents

Abstract

1326384 Gas discharge display panels FERRANTI Ltd 18 May 1971 [20 May 1970 30 May 1970] 24359/70 and 26198/70 Heading H1D Electrodes 15 of a gas discharge display panel having one or more gas-filled discharge spaces 11 are connected to individual conductors 17 through resistive layers 16. The resistive material 16 may be ruthenium dioxide or thallium oxide, the anodes 13 may be of stannic oxide, and the cathodes 15 and conductors 17 may be of Cr covered with Au. The blocks 10, 12 and 14 are preferably of glass, and the block 10 may be built up from a number of layers so that the cells assume a tapered rather than a cylindrical form (Fig. 3, not shown). Alternatively the block 10 may be replaced by a frame to provide one large cell. In this case the conductors 17 must be covered with insulating material to confine the discharges to the required positions (Fig. 4, not shown). To reduce the spacing between cells the cathodes and conductors may be "stacked" (Fig. 5, not shown) whereby a cathode of one cell overlies, but is separated by insulating material from the resistive material and conductor connected to the cathode of an adjacent cell. In further alternative embodiments (Figs. 6 and 7, not shown) conductors 17 formed on the block 14 are covered by a continuous layer of resistive material having the cathodes 15 formed on its surface, or each cathode has three conductors connected to it through resistive paths of different lengths to enable each cell to glow at any of three different intensities. The resistive layers may alternatively be connected to the anodes.