Gas discharge bearing distance heading indicator

Claim 2

A gas discharge flight data indicator comprising a first electrically insulating substrate having on one surface a segmented ring forming a plurality of cathode elements, a second electrically insulating substrate having on one surface first and second concentric ring anodes cooperatively disposed relative to said cathode elements, said one surface of said first substrate and said one surface of said second substrate facing each other in a spaced-apart hermetically sealed relationship such that said first and second ring anodes are spatially superposed with respective portions of each of said cathode elements, an ionizable gas in the space between said substrates, and means for electrically energizing said cathode elements and said ring anodes to produce gas discharge glows at the energized cathode elements.

Claim 3

An indicator as defined in claim 1 and further including additional cathode elements on said one surface of said first substrate inside said ring of cathode elements, and an additional anode on said one surface of said second substrate facing said additional cathode elements in spatially superposed relation therewith.

Claim 4

An indicator as defined in claim 1 and further including a member of optically polarized material placed on the surface of said second substrate opposite to said one surface, said polarized material having compass scale markings thereon for enabling reading relative thereto of bearing and heading data provided by the selectively energized cathode elements.

Claim 5

A gas dIscharge flight data indicator comprising a first electrically insulating substrate having on one surface a segmented ring forming a plurality of cathode elements, including successive layers of nickel-chromium alloy, 50 percent nickel and 50 percent iron, and aluminum, a second electrically insulating substrate having on one surface first and second concentric ring anodes cooperatively disposed relative to said cathode elements, said one surface of said first substrate and said one surface of said second substrate facing each other in a spaced-apart hermetically sealed relationship such that said first and second ring anodes are spatially superposed with respective portions of each of said cathode elements, an ionizable gas in the space between said substrates, and means for electrically energizing said cathode elements and said ring anodes to produce gas discharge glows at the energized cathode elements.

Claim 6

A gas dIscharge flight data indicator comprising a first electrically insulating substrate having on one surface a segmented ring forming a plurality of cathode elements, including successive layers of nickel-chromium alloy, 50 percent nickel and 50 percent iron, and aluminum, a second electrically insulating substrate having on one surface first and second concentric ring anodes cooperatively disposed relative to said cathode elements, said one surface of said first substrate and said one surface of said second substrate facing each other in a spaced-apart hermetically sealed relationship such that said first and second ring anodes are spatially superposed with respective portions of each of said cathode elements, an ionizable gas in the space between said substrates, and means for electrically energizing said cathode elements and said ring anodes to produce gas discharge glows at the energized cathode elements.

Claim 7

A gas discharge flight data indicator comprising a first electrically insulating substrate having on one surface a segmented ring forming a plurality of cathode elements including successive layers of nickel-chromium alloy, 50 percent nickel and 50 percent iron, and aluminum, said layer of nickel-chromium alloy being about 500 Angstroms thick, said layer of 50 percent nickel and 50 percent iron being about 2,220 Angstroms thick, and said layer of aluminum being about 860 Angstroms thick, a second electrically insulating substrate having on one surface first and second concentric ring anodes cooperatively disposed relative to said cathode elements, said one surface of said first substrate and said one surface of said second substrate facing each other in a spaced-apart hermetically sealed relationship such that said first and second ring anodes are spatially superposed with respective portions of each of said cathode elements, an ionizable gas in the space between said substrates, and means for electrically energizing said cathode elements and said ring anodes to produce gas discharge glows at the energized cathode elements.

Claim 8

A gas discharge flight data indicator comprising a first electrically insulating substrate having on one surface a segmented ring forming a plurality of cathode elements including successive layers of nickel-chromium alloy, 50 percent nickel and 50 percent iron, and aluminum, said layer of nickel-chromium alloy being about 500 Angstroms thick, said layer of 50 percent nickel and 50 percent iron being about 2,220 Angstroms thick, and said layer of aluminum being about 860 Angstroms thick, a second electrically insulating substrate having on one surface first and second concentric ring anodes cooperatively disposed relative to said cathode elements, said one surface of said first substrate and said one surface of said second substrate facing each other in a spaced-apart hermetically sealed relationship such that said first and second ring anodes are spatially superposed with respective portions of each of said cathode elements, an ionizable gas in the space between said substrates, and means for electrically energizing said cathode elements and said ring anodes to produce gas discharge glows at the energized cathode elements.

Claim 9

A gas discharge flight data indicator comprising first and second electrically insulating substrates hermetically sealed together in spaced-apart relation to form an enclosed region therebetween containing an ionizable gas, a pair of concentric ring anodes formed on the interior surface of said first substrate, a plurality of cathode segments annularly disposed on the interior surface of said second substrate such that one part of each of said cathode segments is positioned in cooperative relation with one of said ring anodes and the other part of each of said cathode segments is positioned in cooperative relation with the other of said ring anodes, and means for selectively applying electrical energization to said cathode elements and said ring anodes to produce gas discharge glows in the vicinity of the selected cathode elements.

Claim 10

A gas discharge flight data indicator comprising first and second electrically insulating substrates hermetically sealed together in spaced-apart relation to form an enclosed region therebetween containing an ionizable gas, a pair of concentric ring anodes formed on the interior surface of said first substrate, a plurality of cathode segments annularly disposed on the interior surface of said second substrate such that one part of each of said cathode segments is positioned in cooperative relation with one of said ring anodes and the other part of each of said cathode segments is positioned in cooperative relation with the other of said ring anodes, and means for selectively applying electrical energization to said cathode elements and said ring anodes to produce gas discharge glows in the vicinity of the selected cathode elements.

Claim 11

A gas discharge flight data indicator comprising first and second electrically insulating substrates hermetically sealed together in spaced-apart relation to form an enclosed region containing an ionizable gas, a pair of concentric ring anodes formed on the interior surface of said first substrate, a plurality of cathode segments annularly disposed on the interior surface of said second substrate such that one part of each of said cathode segments is in spatially superposed relation with one of said ring anodes and the other part of each of said cathode segments is in spatially superposed relation with the other of said ring anodes, and means for electrically energizing said cathode elements and said ring anodes whereupon energization of one of said ring anodes and at least one selected cathode element a gas discharge glow is produced proximate said selected cathode for indicating aircraft heading and energization of the other of said ring anodes and at least one of said cathode elements produces a gas discharge glow proximate the latter for indicating aircraft bearing to a known location.

Claim 12

A gas discharge flight data indicator comprising first and second electrically insulating substrates hermetically sealed together in spaced-apart relation to form an enclosed region containing an ionizable gas, a pair of concentric ring anodes formed on the interior surface of said first substrate, a plurality of cathode segments annularly disposed on the interior surface of said second substrate such that one part of each of said cathode segments is in spatially superposed relation with one of said ring anodes and the other part of each of said cathode segments is in spatially superposed relation with the other of said ring anodes, and means for electrically energizing said cathode elements and said ring anodes whereupon energization of one of said ring anodes and at least one selected cathode element a gas discharge glow is produced proximate said selected cathode for indicating aircraft heading and energization of the other of said ring anodes and at least one of said cathode elements produces a gas discharge glow proximate the latter for indicating aircraft bearing to a known location.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 7 further including additional cathode elements on the interior surface of said second substrate within said annularly disposed cathode elements, and an additional anode on the interior surface of said first substrate in cooperable relation with said additional cathode elements for providing aircraft operational data.