Gas-discharge display device driving circuits

摘要

A driving circuit arrangement for a gas-discharge display device consisting of an array of discharge lamps applies to the array a discharge retaining voltage composed of a voltage less than is required to maintain a discharge and a voltage equal to the magnitude of a 'half-pulse,' the use of two coincident half-pulses being sufficient in addition to the retaining voltage to strike a discharge. To extinguish a discharge in one or more of the lamps the voltage equal to a half-pulse is removed temporarily from one of the conductors associated with the lamp, thereby reducing the voltage across all the lamps connected to that conductor below the level required to retain a discharge, and a compensating voltage of magnitude equal to a half-pulse is temporarily applied to the other conductor of those lamps in which it is desired that the discharge not be extinguished.