Patent GB-851179-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to colour image reproducers
IPC: H04N9/16
Filed: 1956-12-31
Abstract: 851,179. Colour television ; luminescent screens. ZENITH RADIO CORPORATION. Dec. 31, 1956 [Dec. 29, 1955], No. 39648/56. Class 39(1). An image screen structure for a colour image reproducer includes a plurality of groups of target elements, each element comprising an electro-luminescent material which when excited by a unidirectional electric field within a predetermined range of intensity causes light of a colour distinctive of the group to which the element belongs to be emitted from the structure towards an observer and a semi-conductor material the conductivity of which varies in response to electromagnetic energy incident thereon, and means for establishing separately controllable unidirectional fields across the elements of each of the groups including pairs of electrodes in contact with opposed surfaces of each of the elements of each group. Each element may comprise also a colour filter which restricts light emitted by the element to a primary colour distinctive of the group to which the element belongs. All the elements may include like electro-luminescent material and each may include a colour filter. The screen structure shown in Fig. 1 comprises a glass support member 11 covered with a thin transparent conductive coating 12 of tin oxide by iodizing, and three groups 13, 14, 15 of colour target elements interspersed with each other. Each of the target elements comprises a layer 16 of semi-conductive material such as photoconductive cadmium sulphide and a layer 17 of electroluminescent material which is different for the different groups. The layers 17 of the different groups are connected to common transparent conductive coatings 18, 21, 25 connected in groups to colour control source 27. The conductive coating 12 is connected to a D.C. source 26. A luminance control source 28 is provided and may comprise a television picture tube or a projection-type television image reproducer. In the colour television receiver tube 50, shown in Fig. 3 the target structure includes three groups 53, 54 and 55 of colour target elements and comprises a conductive layer 68, a luminescent layer 67, a transparent conductive layer 49, a photoconductive layer 65, an opaque conductive layer 66, groups of electroluminescent layers 57, 60, 63, and corresponding groups of transparent conductive layers 58, 61, 64. The photoconductive layer 65 may be continuous and not sectionalised as in Fig. 1. The coating 66 which can be of colloided graphite precludes feed-back of light energy from the electroluminescent layers to the photo-conductive layer. The remainder of the tube 50 is of conventional construction. The circuit arrangement shown in Fig. 3 is conventional and comprises antenna 80 connected to receiving circuit unit 81 the output of which is coupled to a luminance amplifier 82 coupled to control electrode 73 of electron gun 70. The unit 81 is also coupled to the sweep systems 83 connected to the horizontal and vertical deflection coils of the deflection yoke 79, and also coupled to chromenance amplifier 84 coupled to colour reference generator 85 and colour demodulating system 86 which are also coupled. The demodulating system 86 is individually coupled to the three connector elements comprising the conductive coating series 58, 61 and 64. The colour reference signal from the generator 85 is applied to the demodulating system 86 to develop three colour difference signals E r -E y , E g -E y  and E b -E y  which are applied respectively to the conductive coatings 61, 64 and 58. The luminance signal Ey is used to modulate the electron stream from the gun 70. As in Fig. 1 a regulated D.C. voltage 26 is connected to conductive layer 49. With this arrangement the target elements of group 53 reproduce the blue portions of the image, group 54 the green portions, and group 55 the red portions. Fig. 4 shows another embodiment of image screen structure for use in a C.R.T. and comprises a glass substrate 25 coated with a transparent conductive layer 91 by iridizing and three groups 93, 94 and 95 of interposed transparent target elements. The target elements of group 93 each comprise a layer 96 of highly resistive transparent material such as conductive glass deposited between layer 91 and a layer 97 of mixed electroluminescent and semi-conductive material which is of BIC type such as antimony tri-suphide and arsenic tri-sulphide. An electron-transparent conductive coating 98 is deposited on the layer 97. The target elements of groups 94 and 95 are similarly constructed, the electroluminescent materials used emitting light of different colours. The conductive coatings 98, &c. of each group are electrically inter-connected and are coupled to a colour control source such as 27 of Fig. 1 or colour demodulating system 86 of Fig. 3. The layer 91 is connected to a regulated D.C. voltage source such as 26 of Figs. 1 and 3. The image screen structure of Fig. 4 provides for a dark-trace type of colour reproduction in which the image is developed by reducing light output from the screen structure instead of increasing it. The layer 91 may be segmented and the coatings 98 continuous. Another construction is shown in Fig. 5, the target elements of group 113 each comprise a transparent conductive film 116, a layer 117 of electroluminescent material and a thin coating 118 of BIC type material, and similarly for the other groups of target elements. The coating 118 is common to all the target elements and is backed by a thin electron-permeable conductive coating 123. The separation of the screen of the screen structure of Fig. 5 is similar to that of Fig. 3. A further construction of screen structure is shown in Fig. 6, each of the target elements of group 133 comprising a thin layer 136 of colour filter material, a light-transparent conductive film 137 and a layer 138 of electroluminescent material which may emit light not confined to one colour. A thin layer 139 of semi-conductive material such as suitable glass and operating similarly to the BIC layer 118 of Fig. 5 and which may cover all the target elements and an electron-permeable conductive coating 146, are provided. An electroluminescent material or mixture of materials which emits light corresponding to each of the primary colours may be employed in the layers 138, 142 and 145 which may then be constructed as a single continuous layer. The colour filter layers 136, 140 and 143 can be deposited on the substrate 25 as described in Specification 834,030. The operation of the image structure of Fig. 6 is essentially similar to that of Figs. 3 and 5. In each of the embodiments described colour control may be effected on a sequential basis, e.g. modulation of the luminance control source (e.g. the gun 70 of Fig. 3) may be effected by primary control signals of the form E r , E b  and Eg which are applied to the luminance control source in the same sequence as the colour switching signals applied to the target connector elements. In a sequential operation of this type a control signal can be developed which can be continuously applied to the electron gun.