Voltage controlled electroluminescent meter display

• US 3,296,530 A
• Filed: 09/28/1962
• Issued: 01/03/1967
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1962
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: William Brooks
• Original Assignee: William Brooks
• Inventors: WILLIAM BROOKS
• Application Number:
  US04/227,005
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• US Class Current: 324/122
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 13/405 using a plurality of active, i.e. light emitting, e.g. electro-luminescent elements, i.e. bar graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/12 Light sources with substantially two-dimensional radiating surfaces

Claims

1. AN ELECTROLUMINESCENT DISPLAY UNIT, FOR VISUALLY DISPLAYING THE VALUE OF AN INPUT VOLTAGE COMPRISING:

(A) A NON-CONDUCTIVE INSULATIVE SUPPORT MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF ANGULARLY DISPOSED ELEMENT SUPPORT SURFACES ADJACENT EACH OTHER;

(B) A PLURALITY OF ALIGNED, SEPARATED ELECTROLUMINESCENT CELLS MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID ELEMENT SUPPORT SURFACES;

(C) SAID CELLS EACH INCLUDING A FIRST ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR, A LAYER OF ELECTROLUMINESCENT PHOSPHOR COVERING EACH FIRST CONDUCTOR AND A SECOND ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR COMPRISING A TRANSPARENT CONDUCTOR STRIP COVERING EACH OF SAID FIRST CONDUCTORS AND PHOSPHOR LAYERS;

(D) SAID TRANSPARENT CONDUCTOR STRIP BEING CONNECTED TO A FIRST ELECTRICAL INPUT TERMINAL;

(E) A UNIFORM THIN FILM OF VOLTAGE DEPENDENT RESISTANCE MATERIAL DEPOSITED ON THE SECOND ELEMENT SUPPORT SURFACE WHICH HAS A HIGH ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE UNTIL A THRESHOLD VOLTAGE IS REACHED;

(F) SAID FILM OF VOLTAGE DEPENDENT RESISTANCE MATERIAL BEING DIVIDED INTO SEGMENTS BY A SERIES OF DIVIDING LINES TO FORM AN INDIVIDUAL RESISTIVE SEGMENT STRIP FOR EACH ELECTROLUMINESCENT CELL;

(G) EACH OF SAID RESISTIVE SEGMENT STRIPS BEING ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO THE CORRESPONDING FIRST CONDUCTOR OF SAID ELECTROLUMINESCENT CELL;

(H) A COMMON CONDUCTOR ELEMENT CONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF ALL OF SAID RESISTIVE SEGMENT STRIP ELEMENTS;

(I) SAID COMMON CONDUCTOR ALSO BEING CONNECTED TO A SECOND ELECTRICAL INPUT TERMINAL;

(J) A SCALE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT SAID ALIGNED ELECTROLUMINESCENT CELLS;

AND (K) THE LENGTH OF EACH OF SAID RESISTIVE SEGMENT STRIPS BETWEEN SAID LINE OF ELECTROLUMINESCENT CELLS AND SAID COMMON CONDUCTOR BEING OF SELECTED DIFFERENT LENGTHS SO THAT THE INPUT VOLTAGE APPLIED BETWEEN SAID TWO ELECTRICAL INPUT TERMINALS WILL ACTIVATE AN ELECTROLUMINESCENT CELL ADJACENT SAID SCALE TO GIVE A CALIBRATED SCALE READING FOR SUCH VOLTAGE INPUT.