ALPHA-NUMERIC CHARACTER DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 3,840,873 A
• Filed: 04/16/1973
• Issued: 10/08/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Setsuo Usui
• Original Assignee: Setsuo Usui
• Inventors: Usui, Setsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Trafton, David L.
• Application Number:
  US05/351,276
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 340/336,378R,324R 317/235N 313/18D 178/5.4EL,7.3D
• US Class Current: 340/815.45
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/33 being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0756 Stacked arrangements of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

An alpha-numeric character display device which provides for the display of alpha-numeric characters in two or more colors or mixed colors. The characters are formed for example by a plurality of pairs of light emitting diodes mounted in a prearranged design on a surface of a transparent plate whose diode mounting surface side has formed thereon a plurality of conductive strips between which a layer of opaque insulating material is formed except for windows in which the diode pairs are located. Bridging strips are formed in a layer overlying the insulating layer which connect the electrodes of the diodes to their associated conductive strips for energization. Each bridging strip has associated therewith electrical contact means at one end which extends down through a window in the insulating layer adjacent an associated diode electrode into electrical contact therewith, while the other end has electrical contact means which extends down into electrical contact with its associated conductive strip. The diodes of each pair have different color light emitting properties, such as red and green and the two diodes of a pair are sandwiched together with one single ohmic contact lying therebetween, while the other ohmic contacts of each pair are separate from each other and on opposite sides of the pair. One convenient display array for an alpha-numeric character has light pairs of diodes arranged generally in a figure 8 pattern. The diodes may be individually selectively energized so that selected diode pairs may be made light emitting and additionally either one or the other or both diodes of each pair may be energized.

Claims

1. An alpha-numeric character display device comprising a plurality of first and second light emitting diodes having two electrodes and pn junction respectively, an insulating layer having a plurality of conductive layers lying in a single plane thereon, said first and second light emitting diodes being mounted on said insulating layer with their pn junctions disposed perpendicular to the plane of said insulating layer and arranged in an array for at least two kinds of alpha-numeric displays, said first and second light emitting diodes emitting different color light respectively and being juxtaposed to each other, and means for connecting each of said electrodes of said first and second light emitting diodes to a different one of said conductive layers respectively.

2. An alpha-numeric character display device comprising a plurality of characters each made up of a plurality of segments in a pre-arranged design, each of said segments of said device being made up of a pair of side-by-side arranged light emitting diodes, each diode having outer ohmic contacts on opposite surfaces thereof, and the two diodes of each pair being sandwiched together with an electrode therebetween in electrical contact with the inner ohmic contacts of the diodes of a pair, a transparent plate upon which said diodes are mounted with their pn junctions perpendicular to said plate and a plurality of conductive strips electrically connected to said electrodes and to the outer ohmic contacts of each pair respectively, said diodes being individually selectively energizable.

3. An alpha-numeric character display device comprising a plurality of characters each made up of a plurality of segments in a pre-arranged design, each of said segments of said device being made up of a pair of side-by-side arranged light emitting diodes each diode having one electrode which is common to both and forming a single layer sandwiched beTween said diodes, and having two additional electrodes one for each diode respectively which cover the outer surfaces of said diodes respectively remote from the diode junction, a transparent plate upon which said diodes are mounted with their pn-junctions perpendicular to said plate, and a plurality of conductive strips formed on said transparent plate and electrically connected to said electrodes, said diodes being individually selectively energizable.

4. A device according to claim 3, in which the diodes of each segment have different light emitting colors.

5. A device according to claim 3, in which one diode of each segment emits red light and the other diode of each segment emits green light when selectively energized.

6. A device according to claim 5, in which the size of the display characters in one color are the same as the size of the display characters in the other color.

7. A device according to claim 3, in which the diodes of each pair are partially staggered lengthwise with respect to each other but of the same length.

8. An alpha-numeric character display device comprising a transparent insulating layer having a plurality of first and second light emitting diodes mounted thereon with their pn-junctions disposed perpendicular to the plane of said layer and arranged in an array for at least two kinds of alpha-numeric character displays, said first and second light emitting diodes emitting different color light respectively, conductive strips formed on said transparent layer providing means for connection to said diodes, and means for selectively forwardly biasing different ones of said first and second light emitting diodes.