Electroluminescent display systems

Claim 2

A display screen comprising a first multielement component panel in which each element thereof is capable of emitting light when selectively activated, and a second component panel adapted to transmit substantially only that light from a selected element and to prevent the transmission of light from non-seLected elements, said second component panel comprising a transparent electrode layer consisting of a plurality of conductive strips, a layer comprising a plurality of associated strips of photoconductive material, each extending substantially right across the respective surface of the second component panel, an opaque conductive layer, a layer of electroluminescent material, and a segmented electrode layer.

Claim 3

A display screen according to claim 1 wherein the first component panel comprises an electroluminescent layer, a first set of conductors on one surface of said layer, a second set of conductors on the opposite surface of said layer, said first and second set forming a selection matrix to permit activation of preselected elements of said electroluminescent material.

Claim 4

A display screen according to claim 1 including an optical filter positioned on one side of said first component panel to remove a predetermined portion of said light.

Claim 5

A display screen according to claim 1 including a third component panel composed of a plurality of light amplifying elements each of which is capable of emitting light when simultaneously excited by light from the respective one of said elected element in said second component panel and an electric field.

Claim 6

A display screen according to claim 3 wherein the third component panel comprises a layer of photoconductive material, an opaque conductive layer, an unbroken layer of electroluminescent material, and an unbroken electrode layer.

Claim 7

A display screen according to claim 4 wherein the second component panel is a sandwich light amplifier for amplifying light produced by a fully selected element of the first component panel, said second component panel having a plurality of diagonally extending, electrically conductive strips passing across the face of the panel whereby, in use, only the light from a selected element in the first component panel is transmitted by the second component panel. 7 A display screen according to claim 6 wherein said conductive strips each comprise a series of substantially square-shaped areas, said areas being each connected to adjacent areas in the same conductive strip at diagonally opposite corners.

Claim 8

A display screen according to claim 6 wherein the second component panel comprises a glass substrate on which are etched tin oxide electrodes to constitute a first set of said conductive strips, a photoconductive layer, an opaque conductive layer, a layer of electroluminescent material, a second set of tin oxide electrodes to constitute a second set of said conductive strips, and a layer of glass, whereby the first and second sets of conductive strips are parallel and on opposite sides of said layer of electroluminescent material to permit selective activation of said strip portions of the electroluminescent material in the second component panel.

Claim 9

A display screen according to claim 1 wherein said electroluminescent layer is a segmented zinc sulfide layer.

Claim 10

A display screen according to claim 1 wherein said opaque conductive layer is adapted to conduct in one direction only.

Claim 11

A display screen for producing a color image comprising a first multielement component panel in which each element thereof is capable of emitting light when selectively activated, a second component panel adapted to transmit substantially only that light from a selected element and to prevent the transmission of light from nonselected elements, said second component panel comprising a transparent electrode layer consisting of a plurality of conductive strips, a layer comprising a plurality of associated strips of photoconductive material, an opaque conductive layer, a layer of electroluminescent material, and a segmented electrode layer, and a third component panel comprising a transparent continuous electrode layer, a layer of strips of photoconductive material, an opaque conductive layer, an electroluminescent layer segmented into strips, and a segmented electrode layer, adjacent strips of said electroluminescenT layer being capable of producing different colors on excitation whereby a composite color image may be produced by the display screen.

Claim 12

A display screen for producing a color image comprising a first multielement component panel in which each element thereof is capable of emitting light when selectively activated, a second component panel adapted to transmit substantially only that light from a selected element and to prevent the transmission of light from nonselected elements, said second component panel comprising a transparent electrode layer consisting of a plurality of conductive strips, a layer comprising a plurality of associated strips of photoconductive material, an opaque conductive layer, a layer of electroluminescent material, and a segmented electrode layer, and a third component panel comprising a transparent continuous electrode layer, a layer of strips of photoconductive material, an opaque conductive layer, an electroluminescent layer segmented into strips, and a segmented electrode layer, adjacent strips of said electroluminescenT layer being capable of producing different colors on excitation whereby a composite color image may be produced by the display screen.

Claim 13

A display screen according to claim 11 wherein the strips of electroluminescent material in the electroluminescent layer are strips of zinc sulfide doped with impurities whereby adjacent strips produce said different colors.

Claim 14

A display screen according to claim 11 wherein the strips of electroluminescent material in the electroluminescent layer are strips of zinc sulfide doped with impurities whereby adjacent strips stimulate phosphorescent elements which, in turn, provide the required colors.

Claim 15

A display system including a display screen comprising a first multielement component panel including an electroluminescent layer in which each element thereof is capable of emitting light when selectively activated and a second component panel adapted to transmit substantially only that light from a selected element and to prevent the transmission of light from nonselected elements, said second component panel comprising a sandwich of materials capable of transmitting light from said first component panel on activation of a respective element thereof, said first component panel including a first set of conductors located on one side of said layer and a second set of conductors located on the opposite sides of said layer whereby a selection matrix is formed to selectively develop an electric potential across any required element of said first component panel so that light is transmitted therefrom on activation of the respective element by said potential, said second component panel comprises a glass substrate on which are etched tin oxide electrodes to constitute a first set of said conductive strips, a photoconductive layer, an opaque conductive layer, a layer of electroluminescent material, a second set of tin oxide electrodes to constitute a second set of said conductive strips, and a layer of glass, whereby the first and second sets of conductive strips are parallel and on opposite sides of said layer of electroluminescent material to permit selective activation of said strip portions of the electroluminescent material in the second component panel, circuit means associated with said second component panel to select that conductor in its respective first set and that conductor in its respective second set corresponding to the required portion of the second component panel whereby a potential may be applied thereacross to activate that portion whilst all other portions of the second component panel are retained inactive and means for applying a potential across said portion at the instant that light is emitted from the corresponding element in the first component panel.

Claim 16

A display system including a display screen comprising a first multielement component panel including an electroluminescent layer in which each element thereof is capable of emitting light when selectively activated and a second component panel adapted to transmit substantially only that light from a selected element and to prevent the transmission of light from nonselected elements, said second component panel comprising a sandwich of materials capable of transmitting light from said first component panel on activation of a respective element thereof, said first component panel including a first set of conductors located on one side of said layer and a second set of conductors located on the opposite sides of said layer whereby a selection matrix is formed to selectively develop an electric potential across any required element of said first component panel so that light is transmitted therefrom on activation of the respective element by said potential, said second component panel comprises a glass substrate on which are etched tin oxide electrodes to constitute a first set of said conductive strips, a photoconductive layer, an opaque conductive layer, a layer of electroluminescent material, a second set of tin oxide electrodes to constitute a second set of said conductive strips, and a layer of glass, whereby the first and second sets of conductive strips are parallel and on opposite sides of said layer of electroluminescent material to permit selective activation of said strip portions of the electroluminescent material in the second component panel, circuit means associated with said second component panel to select that conductor in its respective first set and that conductor in its respective second set corresponding to the required portion of the second component panel whereby a potential may be applied thereacross to activate that portion whilst all other portions of the second component panel are retained inactive and means for applying a potential across said portion at the instant that light is emitted from the corresponding element in the first component panel.

Claim 17

A system according to claim 14 wherein said circuits include semiconductor gating circuits.

Claim 18

A color image presentation system comprising a composite panel composed of a first component panel of a luminescent material which when excited to luminescence emits light radiation, a second component panel composed of a plurality of elements each of which will transmit said radiation only when simultaneously excited by the excitation of said first component panel layer and an electric field, a third component panel composed of a plurality of light amplifying elements each of which emits a primary color emission when simultaneously excited by the emission of said first component layer and an electric field, said light amplifying elements being arranged in groups whereby on excitation of respective light amplifying elements in the same group a different primary color emission occurs.

Claim 19

A color image presentation system comprising a composite panel composed of a first component panel of a luminescent material which when excited to luminescence emits light radiation, a second component panel composed of a plurality of elements each of which will transmit said radiation only when simultaneously excited by the excitation of said first component panel layer and an electric field, a third component panel composed of a plurality of light amplifying elements each of which emits a primary color emission when simultaneously excited by the emission of said first component layer and an electric field, said light amplifying elements being arranged in groups whereby on excitation of respective light amplifying elements in the same group a different primary color emission occurs.