Electronic indicia display system

Claim 2

An indicating system for displaying indicia comprising: a plurality of indicating tubes each having a filament, a plurality of anode segments shaped to display predetermined indicia and a grid for controlling the flow of electrons from the filament to the anodes; means applying a low potential to said filaments; circuit means, interconnected with the anode segments of each indicating tube, for applying a high potential to select anode segments of said tubes in response to a first input signal fed to said circuit means; and means, connected with the grids of said indicating tubes, for operating selected tubes, by applying a high potential to the grids of the selected tubes and a low potential to the grids of the other tubes in response to a second input signal fed to said last-mentioned means, whereby portions of the waveforms of either one of said first and second input signals respectively applied to said circuit means and said last-mentioned means are cut off at the beginning and termination of time periods allocated to said indicating tubes for a predetermined period of time substantially equal to one-half cycle of a clock pulse used to determine said time periods; to thereby reduce the pulse width of said cut-off input signals.

Claim 3

An indicating system for displaying indicia comprising: a plurality of indicating tubes each having a filament, a plurality of anode segments shaped to display predetermined indicia and a grid for controlling the flow of electrons from the filament to the anodes; means applying a low potential to said filaments; circuit means interconnected with the anode segments for each indicating tube for applying a high potential to selected anode segments of said indicating tubes in response to a first input signal fed to said circuit means; means for generating a series of clock pulses; first generator means for supplying a digit signal in the form of pules to be coupled to said anode segments of the indicating tubes, each of said pulses being generated therefrom in synchronism with a clock pulse used to determine the duration of time periods allocated to said indicating tubes and having a duration substantially equal to the sum of a number of said clock pulses; first gating means for transmitting said digit signal to said circuit means; means connected with the grids of said indicating tubes for operating selected tubes by applying a high potential to the grids of the selected tubes and a low potential to the other tubes; second generator means for supplying a positional signal to the grids of the indicating tubes during different time intervals; and second gating means for transmitting a signal to said second generator means, said last-mentioned signal being generated upon receipt of said positional signal during each time interval from said second generator means one-half cycle of said clock pulse delayed from the beginning of one time interval and capable of terminating one-half cycle of a clock pulse earlier than the end of said time interval.

Claim 4

An indicating system for displaying indicia comprising: a plurality of indicating tubes each having a filament, a plurality of anode segments shaped to display predetermined indicia and a grid for controlling the flow of electrons from the filament to the anodes; means applying a low potential to said filaments; circuit means interconnected with the anode segments for each indicating tube for applying a high potential to selected anode segments of said indicating tubes in response to a first input signal fed to said circuit means; means for generating a series of clock pulses; first generator means for supplying a digit signal in the form of pules to be coupled to said anode segments of the indicating tubes, each of said pulses being generated therefrom in synchronism with a clock pulse used to determine the duration of time periods allocated to said indicating tubes and having a duration substantially equal to the sum of a number of said clock pulses; first gating means for transmitting said digit signal to said circuit means; means connected with the grids of said indicating tubes for operating selected tubes by applying a high potential to the grids of the selected tubes and a low potential to the other tubes; second generator means for supplying a positional signal to the grids of the indicating tubes during different time intervals; and second gating means for transmitting a signal to said second generator means, said last-mentioned signal being generated upon receipt of said positional signal during each time interval from said second generator means one-half cycle of said clock pulse delayed from the beginning of one time interval and capable of terminating one-half cycle of a clock pulse earlier than the end of said time interval.

Claim 5

An indicating system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said first gating means comprises a first gating element capable of being triggered on by said clock pulse, to thereby pass therethrough said digit signal and a second gating element capable of applying the output of said first gating element to said circuit means.

Claim 6

An indicating system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said second gating means comprises an AND gate having one input terminal adapted to receive the positional signal from the positional signal generator means and another input terminal adapted to rEceive a signal generated during three cycles of the clock pulse in one time period and another AND gating element adapted to be triggered on by another clock pulse displaced half a cycle relative to the first-mentioned clock pulse for applying the positional signal to the grid of a tube.

Claim 7

An indicating system for displaying indicia comprising: a plurality of indicating tubes each having a filament, a plurality of anode segments shaped to display predetermined indicia and a grid for controlling the flow of electrons from the filament to the anodes; means for generating a series of clock pulses; means for applying a low potential to said filament; first generator means for generating a digit signal in the form of pulses to said anode segments of said indicating tubes, each of said pulses being generated therefrom in synchronism with a clock pulse used to determine the duration of time intervals allocated to said indicating tubes and having a duration substantially equal to the sum of a number of said clock pulses; a plurality of gating elements each capable of being triggered by a signal in the form of an inverted clock pulse to thereby apply said digit signal to the anode segments of each of the indicating tubes; a second generator means for supplying a positional signal to the grids of the indicating tubes during different time intervals in response to a second clock pulse which is 1/2 cycle displaced relative to said first-mentioned clock pulse, said positional signal having a duration substantially equal to that of each time interval; a counter capable of generating an output signal for every four of said second clock pulses; a plurality of inhibit gating elements each having one input terminal adapted to receive the positional signal from said second generator means and another input terminal adapted to receive the output signal from said counter; and a plurality of gating devices each capable of being triggered on by signal corresponding to an inverted second clock pulse to thereby apply an output of said inhibit gating element to each grid of said indicating tubes.

Claim 8

An indicating system for displaying indicia comprising: a plurality of indicating tubes each having a filament, a plurality of anode segments shaped to display predetermined indicia and a grid for controlling the flow of electrons from the filament to the anodes; means for generating a series of clock pulses; means for applying a low potential to said filament; first generator means for generating a digit signal in the form of pulses to said anode segments of said indicating tubes, each of said pulses being generated therefrom in synchronism with a clock pulse used to determine the duration of time intervals allocated to said indicating tubes and having a duration substantially equal to the sum of a number of said clock pulses; a plurality of gating elements each capable of being triggered by a signal in the form of an inverted clock pulse to thereby apply said digit signal to the anode segments of each of the indicating tubes; a second generator means for supplying a positional signal to the grids of the indicating tubes during different time intervals in response to a second clock pulse which is 1/2 cycle displaced relative to said first-mentioned clock pulse, said positional signal having a duration substantially equal to that of each time interval; a counter capable of generating an output signal for every four of said second clock pulses; a plurality of inhibit gating elements each having one input terminal adapted to receive the positional signal from said second generator means and another input terminal adapted to receive the output signal from said counter; and a plurality of gating devices each capable of being triggered on by signal corresponding to an inverted second clock pulse to thereby apply an output of said inhibit gating element to each grid of said indicating tubes.

Claim 9

An indicating system for displaying indicia comprising: a plurality of indicating tubes each having a filament, a plurality of anode segments shaped to display predetermined indicia, and a grid for controllint the flow of electrons from the filament to the anodes; first means for applying a low potential to said filaments; second means, responsive to a first indicia signal having a prescribed duration, for supplying a high potential to selected anode segments of said tubes; and third means, coupled to the grids of said tubes, for supplying a control potential to the grids of selected tubes and a low potential to the grids of the other tubes, said third means including control means, responsive to successive indicia signals, for supplying successive energizing signals to the control grids of said plurality of tubes, said energizing signals being supplied to said grids a predetermined period of time delayed by a delay circuit after the initiation of the duration of the signal to be applied to the anode segments, and terminating a second predetermined period of time corresponding to one bit timing earlier than the termination of the duration of said signal to be applied to the anode segments , the length of time between said start and termination of the supply of an energizing signal being sufficient to be integrated by the human eye.

Claim 10

An indicating system for displaying indicia comprising: a plurality of indicating tubes each having a filament, a plurality of anode segments shaped to display predetermined indicia, and a grid for controllint the flow of electrons from the filament to the anodes; first means for applying a low potential to said filaments; second means, responsive to a first indicia signal having a prescribed duration, for supplying a high potential to selected anode segments of said tubes; and third means, coupled to the grids of said tubes, for supplying a control potential to the grids of selected tubes and a low potential to the grids of the other tubes, said third means including control means, responsive to successive indicia signals, for supplying successive energizing signals to the control grids of said plurality of tubes, said energizing signals being supplied to said grids a predetermined period of time delayed by a delay circuit after the initiation of the duration of the signal to be applied to the anode segments, and terminating a second predetermined period of time corresponding to one bit timing earlier than the termination of the duration of said signal to be applied to the anode segments , the length of time between said start and termination of the supply of an energizing signal being sufficient to be integrated by the human eye.

Claim 11

An indicating system according to claim 6, wherein said third means further includes first gate means, responsive to a first series of clock pulses and said first indicia signal, for gating said indicia signal to the grids of said tubes during the receipt of a predetermined number of clock pulses.

Claim 12

A system according to claim 7, wherein said prescribed duration of said first indicia signal corresponds to an integral number of said clock pulses and said predetermined number of clock pulses is less than said integral number of clock pulses.

Claim 13

An indicating system according to claim 8, wherein said first and second predetermined periods of time correspond to a fraction of the period of time of a clock pulse.

Claim 14

An indicating system according to claim 7, wherein said first gating means comprises a plurality of field effect transistors coupled between the grids of said tubes and a set of terminals receiving said clock pulses.

Claim 15

An indicating system according to claim 6, wherein said second means comprises second gate means, responsive to a second series of clock pulses and a series of digital signals for gating said digital signals to said selective anodes.

Claim 16

A system according to claim 11, wherein said first and second series of clock pulses has the same frequency and are delayed with respect to each other by one-half the period of the clock pulse.

Claim 17

An indicating system according to claim 12, wherein each of said first and second gate means comprises a plurality of field effect transistors coupled between terminals receiving said first and second respective series of clock pulses and the grids and anodes of said tubes.