Electroluminescent panel display device

Claim 1

An electroluminescent device controlled by an incident energy comprising a first planar electrode of light-pervious material, and electroluminescent layer disposed on said first electrode and which luminesces under the excitation by an AC electric field and of which the waveform of the luminescent output is controlled by a unidirectional electric field applied thereto, a layer of energy-responsive element disposed on said electroluminescent layer and which varies the electric resistance thereof in response to an incident energy, a second electrode having a grid shape embedded in said layer of energy-responsive element, a layer of dielectric film disposed on said layer of energyresponsive element, sAid film being divided into sections leaving spaces between sections, resistive elements disposed in said spaces, a plurality of third electrodes each disposed over each section of said dielectric film to constitute a capacitance between it and said energy-responsive layer which varies in response to incident energy, a plurality of fourth electrodes each disposed on each of said resistive elements filling said spaces, means for applying an AC voltage and a DC voltage, in superimposed relationship, between said first electrode and said third electrodes, and switch means for selectively connecting said second electrode and said fourth electrodes in one switch position respectively to said first electrode and said third electrodes and in another switch position respectively to said third electrodes and said first electrode; the thickness of said layers, the dimensions of each section of said dielectric layer, and the thickness and position of the elemental conductors of said second electrode being selected so that an AC circuit is constituted through said first electrode, said electroluminescent layer, said capacitance formed with said third electrodes and said energy-responsive layer, and through said third electrodes, while a DC circuit is constituted through said fourth electrodes, said filling of resistive elements, lateral resistance of said energy-responsive layer between the end of said resistive element and said second electrode, and through said second electrode, whereby the DC voltage applied to said electroluminescent layer through a virtual conductive plane constituted by said energyresponsive layer is substantially controlled by the variation in the resistance of said energy-responsive layer due to an incident energy.