Operating voltage supply system for gas discharge display panel

Claim 1

In a gas discharge display panel system having a plurality of electrode groupings constituting a corresponding number of character display positions, each electrode grouping including a plurality of cathode electrode segments and an anode electrode, MOS circuit means for supplying a low voltage negative potential to permutated ones of said cathode segments and cyclically supplying a positive potential to the anode of each electrode grouping one at a time and in a sequence, a source of stabilized voltage, and capacitor storage means connected between said MOS circuit and said source of stabilized voltage for storing said stabilized voltage for summing with said cyclically supplied positive potential, the simultaneous occurrence of said stabilized voltage and said positive and negative voltage pulses at any electrode grouping producing a visual display of the information in permutated ones of said cathode segments, the improvement comprising said source of stabilized voltage includes a D.C. source of direct current voltage having a magnitude less than the voltage needed to achieve a breakdown in the discharge gas medium in said panel, a voltage divider connected across said direct current voltage source, said voltage divider having serially connected resistance and a keep alive discharge gap in said panel, with an intermediate point at said keep alive for developing a voltage proportional to a condition in said panel, a NPN-PNP transistor couple connected as a voltage follower having the input thereof connected to said intermediate point for tracking changes in said source of stabilization voltage and providing a high current gain and isolating said electrode grouping from said source of stabilized voltage.