Electron tube voltage control device

Claim 2

In an electron discharge device, the combination comprising: an evacuated envelope having a transparent input faceplate at one end and an output faceplate at the other end; an electron multiplier extending transversely across said envelope between said ends, said multiplier having a transverse dielectric plate of uniform cross section and peripheral edges extending longitudinally toward said input faceplate, a first conductive layer of uniform thickness bonded to the output side of said dielectric plate, said electron multiplier having holes extending through said plate from the input side to the output side thereof, a first set of conductive strips insulated from each other and having one side bonded to the input side of said dielectric plate, a dielectric layer of uniform thickness having one side bonded to the other side of said first conductive strips, a second set of conductive strips insulated from each other and bonded to the other side of said dielectric layer at an angle relative to said first strips, all of said layers and all of said strips having holes aligned with said plate holes, said plate holes having secondary emissive surfaces, the ends of both sets of said strips having conductive strip extensions along said peripheral edges; common conductive means connected to said extensions; first and second electron guns for said first and second strip sets, respectively, said first gun being fixed relative to said envelope inside thereof to direct its corresponding electron beam to bombard only one of said first set of strip extensions at a time, said second gun being fixed relative to said envelope inside thereof to direct its corresponding electron beam to bombard only one of said second set of strip extensions at a time; first means to supply a first sweep signal to said first gun to cause said beam thereof to sweep said first strip extensions in a direction perpendicular thereto and repeatedly in succession; second means to supply a second sweep signal to said second gun to cause said beam thereof to sweep said second strip extensions repeatedly in a direction perpendicular thereto and repeatedly in succession; and collector means fixed relative to said envelope inside thereof in position to collect electrons from said first and second strip extensions, respectively.

Claim 3

The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said plate has an extension including said peripheral edges integral therewith extending at an angle relative thereto, said strip extensions being fixed to said plate extension in positions to extend in the same general direction as the corresponding strips of which they are extensions, said guns being located in positions such that their electron beams are askew, one gun being located at 90* around said plate relative to the other, said beams being movable approximately in planes parallel to said plate, said sweep signals being approximately sawtooth, one sweep signal having a frequency substantially larger than that of the other, means fixed relative to said envelope inside thereof between said beams and said plate to flood the input side of said multiplier with electrons, a luminescent screen fixed relative to said envelope inside thereof in a plane approximately parallel to said plate adjacent said output faceplate.

Claim 4

The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said sweep signals are approximately sawtooth, said first sweep signal having a frequency substantially larger than that of said second sweep signal, means fixed relative to said envelope inside thereof between said beams and said multiplier to flood the input side of said multiplier with electrons, a luminescent screen fixed relative to said envelope inside thereof in a plane approximately parallel to said multiplier adjacent said output faceplate, said first and second means being synchronized to sweep said first gun beam the entire set of said first strips while sweeping said second gun beam across one strip in said second set.

Claim 5

The invention as defined in claim 1, including means fixed relative to said envelope inside thereof between said beams and said multiplier to flood the input side of said multiplier with electrons, a luminescent screen fixed relative to said envelope inside thereof in a plane approximately parallel to said multiplier adjacent the output side thereof.

Claim 6

The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said conductive extensions of said sets of strips have secondary emissive surfaces on the side thereof facing said electron guns, said conductive means includes means to bias said extensions to a negative potential, and resistive means connected between said extensions and said conductor means.

Claim 7

The invention as defined in claim 5, wherein said first sweep signal means causes said first gun beam to sweep past all of said first strip extensions approximately each time said sweep signal means causes said second gun beam to traverse the width of one second strip extension, said first and second means being adapted to cause said first and second sweep signals to be supplied synchronously.

Claim 8

The invention as defined in claim 6, including third means to modulate the intensity of each electron stream emanating in succession from each corresponding set of said aligned holes in synchronism with said first and second sweep signals.

Claim 9

The invention as defined in claim 7, including a television receiver network having first, second and third conductive output leads and means to impress first, second and third color intensity control signals on said first, second and third output leads, respectively, first, second and third gates connected from said first, second and third output leads, respectively, to said third means, said third means being adapted to modulate the intensity of each electron stream emanating in succession from each corresponding set of said aligned holes in accordance with the magnitudes of the signals appearing at the outputs of said gates, a conductive bus connected to all three of said gates to close said gates repeatedly at mutually exclusive different periods of times, a firSt delay device connecting said bus to said first gate, a second delay device connecting said bus to said second gate, said third gate being connected directly from said bus, one of said delay devices providing a time delay twice as long as that of the other, said bus being coupled to every third one of said first strip extensions to supply a close gate signal each time said first gun beam bombards each of said every third one of said first strip extensions.

Claim 10

The invention as defined in claim 8, wherein each of said every third one of said first strip extensions is coupled to each bus by a capacitor.

Claim 11

The invention as defined in claim 8, wherein each of said every third one of said first strip extensions is coupled to said bus by a resistor.

Claim 12

In an electron discharge device, the combination comprising: an evacuated envelope; an electron multiplier, said multiplier having a dielectric plate of uniform cross section sandwiched in between first and second parallel conductive layers of uniform thickness bonded to the input and output sides thereof, respectively, a first dielectric layer of uniform thickness having one side bonded to said first conductive layer sandwiching it between said first dielectric layer and said plate, said electron multiplier having holes extending through said plate from the input side to the output side thereof, a first set of conductive strips insulated from each other and having one side bonded to the other side of said first dielectric layer in positions extending across corresponding sets of hole openings on the input side of said multiplier, a second dielectric layer having one side bonded over the other sides of said first strips, a second set of conductive strips insulated from each other and bonded to the other side of said second dielectric layer in positions extending across corresponding sets of hole openings at an angle relative to said first strips, all of said layers and all of said strips having holes in alignment with passageways through said base forming said holes, said plate holes having secondary emissive surfaces; first means fixed within said envelope inside thereof and actuable to raise and lower the potential of each successive strip repeatedly in said first set beginning with the first strip on one extreme side of said set, the potential of said first set first strip being repeatedly raised and lowered after the potential of the last strip on the other extreme side of said first set thereof is raised and lowered; second means fixed with said envelope inside thereof and actuable to raise and lower the potential of each second set strip repeatedly in the same said manner as said first set strip potentials are raised and lowered and in synchronism therewith, each said second set strip being gated on by one of said potentials for a length of time that the entire first set of strips is gated on once, said first means having a construction requiring a retrace period of time, Tr, to gate said first strip on after gating said last strip off; and resistive means connected from each strip of said first set, each resistive means having a resistance, R, the capacitance between each first set strip and at least one other electrode in said envelope being C, the product of R and C being equal to between about 0.5 Tr and 1.5 Tr.

Claim 13

In an electron discharge device, the combination comprising: an evacuated envelope; an electron multiplier, said multiplier having a dielectric plate of uniform cross section sandwiched in between first and second parallel conductive layers of uniform thickness bonded to the input and output sides thereof, respectively, a first dielectric layer of uniform thickness having one side bonded to said first conductive layer sandwiching it between said first dielectric layer and said plate, said electron multiplier having holes extending through said plate from the input side to the output side thereof, a first set of conductive strips insulated from each other and having one side bonded to the other side of said first dielectric layer in positions extending across corresponding sets of hole openings on the input side of said multiplier, a second dielectric layer having one side bonded over the other sides of said first strips, a second set of conductive strips insulated from each other and bonded to the other side of said second dielectric layer in positions extending across corresponding sets of hole openings at an angle relative to said first strips, all of said layers and all of said strips having holes in alignment with passageways through said base forming said holes, said plate holes having secondary emissive surfaces; first means fixed within said envelope inside thereof and actuable to raise and lower the potential of each successive strip repeatedly in said first set beginning with the first strip on one extreme side of said set, the potential of said first set first strip being repeatedly raised and lowered after the potential of the last strip on the other extreme side of said first set thereof is raised and lowered; second means fixed with said envelope inside thereof and actuable to raise and lower the potential of each second set strip repeatedly in the same said manner as said first set strip potentials are raised and lowered and in synchronism therewith, each said second set strip being gated on by one of said potentials for a length of time that the entire first set of strips is gated on once, said first means having a construction requiring a retrace period of time, Tr, to gate said first strip on after gating said last strip off; and resistive means connected from each strip of said first set, each resistive means having a resistance, R, the capacitance between each first set strip and at least one other electrode in said envelope being C, the product of R and C being equal to between about 0.5 Tr and 1.5 Tr.