Module 3

Control and Display Technologies

Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)

Mohamed Sameer T K Dept. of Aeronautical JCET

CRT
The Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube

containing one or more electron guns and a fluorescent screen used to view images.
CRT consists of the glass bulb evacuated to a high

vacuum, the cathode (a source of electrons), cathode heater, electrodes for brightness and focus control, several accelerating anodes, the pairs of horizontal and vertical capacitor plates deviating the electron beam, and fluorescent screen

CRT
Monochrome CRT Color CRT

Shadow Mask CRT Beam Penetration CRT Beam Indexing CRT

Monochrome CRT
Its application is in Military Aircraft Cockpits. Ex. F/A -

18, F-16
The F/A 18 uses four Monochrome Displays, one for

the HUD.
The F-16 uses five Monochrome CRT, one for HUD

Why Monochrome CRT in Fighter Aircraft

Ruggedness
High Brightness

Color CRT
Its application in the Modern Transport such

as MD-80, MD-11, B-757, B-777, A-310, A320, A-330 and A-340.

Limited

application in High performance Military Aircraft such as the F-15E, Euro fighter Aircraft

CRT

Basic Elements of a CRT

Elements of a CRT
The cathode, is raised to a high temperature by the

heater, and electrons evaporate from the surface of the cathode. The control grid regulates the number of electrons that reach the anode and hence the brightness of the spot on the screen. The accelerating anode, with a small hole at its center, is maintained at a high positive potential of the order of 1 to 20 KV, relative to the cathode.This potential difference gives rise to an electric field directed from right to left in the region between the accelerating anode and the cathode.
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Elements of a CRT
The focusing anode ensures that electrons leaving

the cathode in slightly different directions are focused down to a narrow beam and all arrive at the same spot on the screen.
The assembly of cathode, control grid, focusing anode,

and accelerating electrode is called the electron gun.

.

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Elements of a CRT
The beam of electrons passes between two pairs of

deflecting plates
An electric field between the first pair of plates deflects

the electrons horizontally, and an electric field between the second pair deflects them vertically.
If no deflecting fields are present, the electrons travel in

a straight line from the hole in the accelerating anode to the center of the screen, where they produce a bright spot.
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Elements of a CRT
Electrons passing through the hole in the anode form a

narrow beam and travel with constant horizontal velocity from the anode to the fluorescent screen.
The area where the electrons strike the screen glows

brightly.

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Shadow mask Color CRT

Color tubes use three different phosphors which emit

red, green, and blue light respectively. They are packed together in clusters called "triads
It has three electron guns, one for each primary color,

arranged in an equilateral triangular configuration called "delta-gun

A shadow mask tube uses a metal plate with tiny holes,

placed so that the electron beam only illuminates the correct phosphors on the face of the tube.
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Shadow mask Color CRT

Shadow mask

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Shadow mask Color CRT

One of anodes, which accelerate the electrons, is

placed close to the screen.

The high positive voltage is applied to this electrode.

Under the action of the applied voltage the electrons are moved with acceleration from cathode to anode.
In the absence of the voltage applied to deviating

plates, the electron beam will be incident on the screen in the center brightening a point in the fluorescing layer.
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Beam Penetration CRT

It makes use of multi colored phosphorus of number of

layers. Each phosphorus layer is responsible for one color. All other arrangements are similar to simple CRT.

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Beam Penetration CRT

It offers an attractive alternative to shadow mask CRTs

in that they do not require a shadow mask to provide colors.

An electron beam from a single gun excites the

phosphor coating, which contain two layers.

The outermost layer is a red phosphor that is excited

by low energy (<10 kv) electrons, and the inner most phosphor is a green one that requires higher energy(>10kv) electrons to excite it. 17

Beam Penetration CRT

With low potential applied to the Al film layer, the

electron beams are absorbed in the Al & do not pass through the P layers.
When potential is increased, electrons pass through Al

and enter the second layer of P where they are absorbed causing luminance of that layer.
As potential is increased further, electrons are partially

absorbed by the second layer, while the remainder pass through this layer to the first layer, this causes color generated to be a mixture of the characteristics of 18 2 types of P.

Beam Penetration CRT

Yellow to orange can be generated by simultaneous

excitation of the red and green phosphors.

The net result is a color CRT whose ruggedness

matches that of a monochrome CRT and whose spectrum is limited to three colors.
A disadvantage is the requirement for rapid , precisely

timed modulation of the beam voltage to produce displays with adequate resolution and color purity.
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Beam Indexing CRT

It is a Latent Technology that promises to provide color

capability in airborne CRTs.

The beam-index tube is a color television cathode ray

tube design, using phosphor stripes and activefeedback timing, rather than phosphor dots and a beam-shadowing mask.
In a beam index tube the face is lined with fine vertical

stripes of four phosphors :

Standard Blue, Green , Red, one that emits Ultra Violet.

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Beam Indexing CRT

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Beam Indexing CRT

The optically indexed tube displayed images by lighting

vertical stripes of colored phosphor arranged in a redgreen-blue pattern.

A single electron gun was used to paint the stripes,

and the beam strength is modulated in order to produce different colors.

Each RGB pattern was followed by a single stripe of

UV phosphor on the inside face of the tube, where the light was not visible to the viewer.
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Beam Indexing CRT

Light given off by this stripe was captured by a

photomultiplier tube on the outside of the tube that was positioned over a clear window in the tube surface. Light from the UV stripes was amplified and sent into the color decoder circuit. The color decoder electrically subtracted the signal from the photomultiplier from the existing color burst signal. This resulted in a phase difference that advanced or retarded the modulation of the single beam. This way even if the beam was advancing too fast or too slow, the index system would adjust the timing on the fly to 23 ensure proper colors were produced.

CRT
Advantages
Few parts Small electrical connections

Versatile (graphics & alpha numeric)

Luminous

efficiency is high compared to other technologies Easily mass produced Color display can be presented Reliable & has long life Presents information more rapidly 24

CRT
Disadvantages
Physical dimension is inconvenient for mounting in

certain applications Requires constant refreshing Susceptible to high intensity radiation fields (HIRF)

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