Abstract:
A multipersistence display device is described which comprises a cathode-ray tube whose faceplate is coated with a layer of an ultraviolet-emitting phosphor. Provided on the ultraviolet phosphor layer is a layer of a phosphor-emitting visible light. The electron beam accelerating voltage of the cathode-ray tube is selectively controlled; a lower voltage causing the electron beam to excite the visible phosphor layer, and higher voltage causing the electron beam to excite the ultraviolet phosphor layer. An image-storage panel is included for storing the ultraviolet image which is produced when the ultraviolet phosphor layer is excited. An optical image system is provided for projecting images appearing on the screen of the cathode-ray tube onto the imagestorage panel. Thus, when the cathode-ray tube is operated at the lower voltage to excite the visible phosphor, dynamic information can be displayed on the image-storage panel and, when the cathode-ray tube is operated at the higher voltage to excite the ultraviolet phosphor, static information can be stored in the image-storage panel and displayed by the action of an electroluminescent material thereby.
Abstract:
A DISPLAY SYSTEM INCLUDING A GAS DISCHARGE DISPLAY PANEL MADE UP OF AN ASSEMBLY OF GLASS FILMS ENCLOSING A GAS AND INCLUDING ELECTRODES THAT DEFINE AN ARRAY OF DISCRETE CELLS. A SOURCE OF SUSTAINING VOLTAGE IS APPLIED TO THE ELECTRODES TO MAINTAIN THE GAS SLIGHTLY BELOW A THRESHOLD VALUE. A HAND STYLUS WHICH PRODUCES A HIGH VOLTAGE DISCHARGE IS CONNECTED TO THE SOURCE OF SUSTAIN-
ING VOLTAGE AND IS EMPLOYED TO SELECTIVELY EXCITE THE CELLS WHICH THEN EMIT VISIBLE LIGHT SELECTIVELY EXTINGUISHED.
Abstract:
A light pen arrangement is described wherein the light pen has three degrees of freedom, viz. two-dimensional translation in the (X,Y) plane of a cathode ray tube screen and rotation about the projection of its own longitudinal axis to the normal of the screen. To sense the angular position of the light pen, at least two independent light sensitive elements, i.e., fiber optic bundles are required, the latter being suitably provided by dividing the bundle of fiber optics emerging from a single light pen into at least two separate groups and having photosensitive transducer respectively associated with each of the separate groups. When the light pen is placed on the screen and its presence there is sensed, an (X,Y) value pair is stored for the location of each light sensitive area of the light pen, i.e., each of the aforementioned separate fiber optic groups. The storing is accomplished by having an electron beam draw lines or points in each light sensitive area and, receiving in response thereto, interrupts for points or lines in the field of view of each fiber optic group, the (X,Y) coordinate of each point or line causing an interrupt and the fiber optic group that picked up the interrupt is now known to the computer or other control arrangement controlling the cathode ray tube. The computer or control arrangement can then compute the (X,Y) location of the light pen as the centroid of the individual areas and the angular position of the pen.
Abstract:
A bank of interchangeable computers are provided, each of which is a memory/processor pair, the computers being respectively assigned to process terminal jobs as they arrive from a remote terminal. One of the computers serves as the master or control processor and supervises the collection and distribution of messages from and to the remote terminal, a disk drive suitably being provided for each connected terminal. A cross point switching network permits any of the disk drives to be connected to any computer of the bank, under the control of the control computer. Thus, while each active terminal is operatively related to a dedicated disk drive each terminal user may share the control computer with many other terminal users in a simple manner. The ratio of users to computers is dependent on the size and power of the computers which are employed and the computation requirement of the particular combination of users.