COLOR DISPLAY APPARATUS UTILIZING LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES

• US 3,595,991 A
• Filed: 07/11/1968
• Issued: 07/27/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Calvin D. Diller
• Original Assignee: Calvin D. Diller
• Inventors: Diller, Calvin D.
• Application Number:
  US04/744,038
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• US Class Current: 348/802
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/30 using solid-state colour display devices

Abstract

A two-dimensional visual display apparatus for presenting color television information received from a composite television signal. In place of a conventional cathode-ray tube, the apparatus has a display panel comprised of a plurality of closely spaced triads of light-emitting diodes arranged in a plurality of closely spaced horizontal rows. Each triad consists of three closely spaced light-emitting diodes, each having an electroluminescent output of a different primary color. Conventional circuitry is used to detect and convert a composite color television signal into its luminance, chrominance, and scanning components. A grid sweep unit is provided to successively apply the amplified video signals across the rows of diode triads causing them to be actuated in accordance with the signals applied thereto to provide the visual display or picture. In the disclosed embodiment, the horizontal and vertical sweep units consist of a pyramid of bistable switches whose sequential outputs are applied to logic circuits operatively connected to the diode triads such that the video signals are caused to successively sweep the rows of triads.

Claims

1. A visual display apparatus for detecting and converting information received from a composite television signal and for displaying such information in a two-dimensional picture, comprising, in combination, a two-dimensional visual display panel having a plurality of closely spaced, horizontal rows of light-emitting diodes, said rows of light-emitting diodes forming a visual grid for such information display, means for detecting and converting a television signal into a visual component, a horizontal sweep component and a vertical sweep component, a grid sweep unit operatively connected to said visual display panel and to said horizontal and vertical sweep signal components and effective to cause said visual signal component to be successively applied to diodes in said rows and to progress downwardly through successive rows whereby said visual signal component will scan said visual grid and will actuate selected diodes in accordance with information conveyed by said visual signal component to provide a visual display thereof, said grid sweep unit including (1) a plurality of AND circuits operatively connected to said visual display panel, each of said AND circuits having a horizontal and a vertical input terminal and an output terminal operatively connected to a corresponding light-emitting diode whereby said Corresponding diode will be activated by said visual signal component only during the presence of both a horizontal and a vertical input signal at the AND circuit thereof, and wherein the input signal to said AND circuits is provided by a plurality of bistable switches arranged in pyramid fashion, each of said switches having a pair of input terminals and a pair of output terminals and a power supply terminal with the outputs of the first of said switches operatively connected to the power supply terminal of two switches below it in cascade fashion and means for applying said horizontal and vertical sweep signal component to the input terminal of said switches to successively trigger the lowermost row of bistable switches sequentially across said row.

2. A visual display apparatus for detecting and presenting information received from a composite color television signal and displaying such information in a two-dimensional color picture comprising, in combination, a two-dimensional visual display panel having a plurality of closely spaced, horizontal rows of triads of light-emitting diodes, each triad of diodes including diodes having electroluminescent outputs of different primary colors, said rows of triads of diodes forming a grid for such information display, means for detecting and converting a color television signal into a chrominance signal component of three primary colors corresponding to the electroluminescent output colors of said triads of diodes, a horizontal sweep signal component and a vertical sweep signal component, a grid sweep unit operatively connected to said horizontal and vertical sweep signal components and to said information display grid and effective to successively sweep said chrominance signal component horizontally across adjacent triads of diodes in a horizontal row and successively down said rows of diode triads to successively actuate each of said diodes within said triads in accordance with the chrominance signal applied thereto to provide a color visual display on said diode grid, said grid sweep unit comprising horizontal and vertical units having a plurality of bistable switches arranged in pyramid fashion, each of said switches having a pair of input terminals and a pair of output terminals and a power supply terminal with the outputs of the first of said switches operatively connected to the power supply terminal of two switches below it in cascade fashion and means for applying said horizontal or vertical sweep signal components to the input terminals of said switches to successively trigger the lowermost row of bistable switches sequentially across said row.

3. The visual display device of claim 2 which further includes a plurality of frequency dividers operatively connected to said horizontal sweep signal component and to the input terminals of said pyramid of bistable switches wherein each of said bistable switches receives said horizontal sweep signal component at one-half the frequency as those units connected immediately below it in said bistable switch pyramid.