Display panel for displaying a bar of light

Abstract

The disclosure is of a display panel, known as a bar graph and used for displaying bars of light of varying length. The panel includes an anode and a series of cathode bars, the cathodes being connected in three phases of groups which are formed by a trifilar winding on an insulating base plate. The anode for the panel may be formed on the face plate which is hermetically sealed to the base plate to form a gas-tight envelope which is filled with an ionizable gas. The principles of the invention can be used to make other types of panels having electrodes connected in groups.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A display panel comprising a gas-filled envelope including a base plate and a face plate hermetically sealed together with a gas-filled space between them,   said base plate having a top surface inside said envelope an anode electrode,   a first continuous wire wound about said base plate with portions thereof positioned adjacent to the top surface of said base plate and comprising first cathode elements spaced apart from each other in a series,   a second wire wound about said base plate, insulated from said first wire, with portions thereof positioned adjacent to the top surface of said base plate and comprising second cathode elements spaced apart from each other in a series, each second cathode element being positioned closely adjacent to a first cathode element, and   a third wire wound about said base plate, with portions thereof positioned adjacent to the top surface of said base plate and comprising third cathode elements spaced apart from each other in a series, each third cathode element being insulated from, and positioned closely adjacent to, a second cathode element.   
     
     
       2. The panel defined in claim 1 wherein all of said cathode elements are linear conductors arrayed parallel to each other in a series. .Iadd. 
     
     
       3.  A gas discharge panel comprising a substrate having a front surface;   a plurality of continuous electrode wires wound around said substrate in alternating sequence, each turn of each of said plurality of wires around said substrate having a portion adjacent said front surface of said substrate, each of said turns being in alternating sequence with a turn of another of said wires to form a ladder array of said portions, each of said portions of an individual wire of each of said plurality of wires being electrically interconnected by the winding configuration of each of said plurality of wires around said substrate;   second electrode means positioned in operative relation to said electrode wires;   means forming a thin sealed envelope enclosing said front surface of said substrate; and   an ionizable gas contained in said envelope, to provide a glow discharge between said second electrode and any one of said wires for transfer along said ladder array by external electrical potential means connected to said second electrode and said wires to apply electrical potential in repeating sequence to said plurality of wires..Iaddend. .Iadd.   
     
     
       4.  The gas discharge panel of claim 3 wherein the electrode wires serve as cathode electrodes of a plurality of rows of gas discharge cells, each row including a plurality of gas discharge cells and the different rows being disposed substantially parallel to one another; and wherein the second electrode means includes anode electrode means in operative gas discharge relationship with the cathode electrodes in each of said rows..Iaddend.