JP2005327610A - Plasma display panel and plasma display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plasma display panel with luminous efficiency improved without rise of drive voltage ensued and with brightness improved, and a plasma display device. <P>SOLUTION: The plasma display panel is provided with a first substrate 1a equipped with a plurality of first electrodes 9 existing in extension in a row direction and second electrodes 10 parallel with the first electrodes 9, and a second substrate 1b equipped with third electrodes 6 crossing the first and the second electrodes 9, 10 in a display cell. At least one of the electrodes 9, 10 is equipped with a first part 12 forming a discharge gap between the electrodes 9, 10 at a position including a central axis of the electrode 6 and a second part 13 forming a discharge gap narrower than that of the first part 12 at a position shifted from the central axis of the electrode 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a plasma display panel and a plasma display device.

  Plasma display panels are classified into a DC type in which electrodes are exposed to the discharge gas and an AC type in which the electrodes are covered with a dielectric and not directly exposed to the discharge gas depending on the structural classification.

  Further, the AC type includes a memory operation type that uses a memory function by the charge storage action of the dielectric and a refresh operation type that does not use this.

  Hereinafter, a general AC plasma display panel and its memory operation type driving method will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional plasma display panel.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the plasma display panel includes two insulating substrates 1a and 1b on the front surface and the back surface.

  On the insulating substrate 1a, the scan electrode 9 and the sustain electrode 10 are arranged in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval. Scan electrode 9 and sustain electrode 10 are each composed of a bus electrode 3 for ensuring electrical conductivity and a main discharge electrode 2 for discharging.

In the conventional plasma display panel shown in FIG. 14, a transparent electrode made of ITO or SnO ₂ is used as the main discharge electrode 2 in order not to reduce the transmittance.

  Scan electrode 9 and sustain electrode 10 are covered with dielectric layer 4a, and protective film 5 made of, for example, magnesium oxide is formed on dielectric layer 4a to protect dielectric layer 4a from discharge.

  On the insulating substrate 1b, the data electrode 6 is disposed so as to be orthogonal to the scan electrode 9 and the sustain electrode 10.

  The data electrode 6 is covered with a dielectric layer 4b, and a partition wall 7 is formed on the dielectric layer 4b for securing a discharge space and partitioning cells.

  On the dielectric layer 4b where the partition walls 7 are not formed and on the side surfaces of the partition walls 7, a phosphor 8 for converting ultraviolet rays generated by the discharge into visible light is applied. Color display can be performed by separately coating the phosphor 8 for each cell, for example, red, green, and blue (RGB), which are the three primary colors of light.

  A space sandwiched between the insulating substrates 1a and 1b and separated by the partition walls 7 is filled with a discharge gas made of, for example, helium, neon, xenon, or a mixed gas thereof.

  FIG. 15 is a plan view of the plasma display shown in FIG. 14 viewed from the display surface side.

  As shown in FIG. 15A or FIG. 15B, the scan electrode 9 and the sustain electrode 10 are arranged in pairs in parallel in the row direction. A gap created by scan electrode 9 and sustain electrode 10 is called a discharge gap, and surface discharge occurs between scan electrode 9 and sustain electrode 10.

  Next, the discharge operation of the selected display cell will be described.

  When a pulse voltage exceeding the discharge threshold is applied between the scan electrode 9 and the data electrode 6 of each display cell to start the discharge, positive and negative charges corresponding to the polarity of the pulse voltage are applied to the dielectrics on both sides. It is attracted to the surface of the layers 4a and 4b to cause charge build-up.

  Since the equivalent internal voltage resulting from this charge accumulation, that is, the wall voltage, has a polarity opposite to that of the pulse voltage, the effective voltage inside the cell decreases as the discharge grows, and the pulse voltage becomes a constant value. Even if held, the discharge cannot be maintained and finally stops.

  When a discharge occurs between scan electrode 9 and data electrode 6, if a voltage of a certain level or higher is applied between scan electrode 9 and sustain electrode 10, scan electrode 9 and sustain electrode are triggered by this discharge. A discharge occurs between the electrodes 10 and 10, and similarly to the discharge between the scan electrodes 9 and the data electrodes 6, charges accumulate on the dielectric layer 4 a so as to cancel the voltage applied at this time.

  Next, when a sustain discharge pulse having the same polarity as the wall voltage is applied between the scan electrode 9 and the sustain electrode 10, the wall voltage is superimposed as an effective voltage, so the voltage amplitude of the sustain discharge pulse Even if it is low, the discharge can exceed the discharge threshold. Therefore, the discharge can be maintained by continuously applying the sustain discharge pulse between the scan electrode 9 and the sustain electrode 10. This function is a memory function.

  Next, a driving method of a conventional memory operation type AC plasma display panel will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing voltage waveforms applied to the respective electrodes in a conventional plasma display panel driving method.

  In the figure, Si represents a waveform applied to the scan electrode 9 scanned i-th, C represents a waveform applied to the sustain electrode 10, and D represents a waveform applied to the data electrode 6.

  As shown in FIG. 16, one period of basic driving is an initialization period for initializing a cell state and facilitating discharge, and a scanning period for selecting a cell to be displayed. And a sustain period that is a period during which the cell selected in the scanning period emits light.

  First, in the initialization period, an erasing pulse is applied to all the scanning electrodes 9 to generate an erasing discharge, and the wall charges deposited by the sustain discharge pulse before that are erased.

  Here, erasing does not necessarily eliminate all wall charges but also includes adjusting the amount of wall charges so that the subsequent preliminary discharge, write discharge, and sustain discharge can be performed smoothly.

  Next, a preliminary discharge pulse is applied to all the scanning electrodes 9 to forcibly discharge all the display cells, and a preliminary discharge erasing pulse is applied to all the scanning electrodes 9 to generate an erasing discharge. The wall charges deposited by the discharge pulse are erased.

  Here, erasing does not necessarily eliminate all wall charges, but also includes adjusting the amount of wall charges so that the subsequent writing discharge and sustain discharge can be performed smoothly. These preliminary discharge and preliminary discharge erasure facilitate the subsequent address discharge.

  The preliminary discharge pulse and the preliminary discharge erasing pulse shown in FIG. 16 are sawtooth waves in which the voltage gradually changes (increases or decreases) over time, and the discharge due to this waveform spreads only in the vicinity of the discharge gap. Weak discharge.

  In the scanning period in which discharge for selection is performed, scanning pulses are sequentially applied to each scanning electrode 9 while shifting the timing, and data pulses are applied to the data electrodes 6 according to display data in accordance with the timing at which the scanning pulses are applied. Apply.

  In the cell to which the data pulse is applied when the scan pulse is applied, a discharge is generated between the scan electrode 9 and the data electrode 6, and a discharge is also generated between the scan electrode 9 and the sustain electrode 10 due to this discharge.

  A series of these operations is called address discharge. When an address discharge occurs, a positive charge is accumulated in the dielectric layer 4a on the scan electrode 9, a negative charge is accumulated in the dielectric layer 4a on the sustain electrode 10, and a negative charge is accumulated in the dielectric layer 4b on the data electrode 6. Is done.

  In the sustain period, an address discharge is generated in the scan period, and a surface discharge is generated between the scan electrode 9 and the sustain electrode 10 when the voltage due to the charge stored in the dielectric layer 4a is superimposed on the sustain voltage. To do.

  When no address discharge is generated in the scanning period and no wall charges are formed on the dielectric layer 4a, the sustain voltage is set to a voltage that does not exceed the starting voltage at which surface discharge occurs. Accordingly, a sustain discharge for display is generated only in the selected cell in the scanning period.

  When the first sustain discharge is generated, negative charges are accumulated in the dielectric layer 4 a on the scan electrodes 9, and positive charges are accumulated in the dielectric layer 4 a on the sustain electrodes 10.

  Since the polarity of the voltage applied to the scan electrode 9 and the sustain electrode 10 is reversed from that of the first sustain pulse, the second sustain pulse is superimposed with the voltage due to the charge accumulated in the dielectric layer 4a. As a result, the second discharge occurs. Thereafter, the sustain discharge is continued in the same manner.

  If no surface discharge occurs in the first sustain pulse, no discharge occurs in the subsequent sustain pulses.

  The three periods described above, the initialization period, the scanning period, and the sustain period, are collectively referred to as a subfield, and an image is expressed by turning each subfield on / off.

  In the driving method described above, the brightness of the plasma display panel is represented by the product of the light emission brightness per sustain pulse and the number of sustain light emissions, and the power consumed at this time is the sustain pulse voltage and the amount of current flowing at that time. It is represented by the product of

  However, the conventional plasma display panel consumes a large amount of power. For example, the power used for the sustain discharge alone is about 150 to 200 W in the 42 type plasma display panel. Therefore, it is desired to reduce the current (to improve the light emission efficiency) in order to reduce the power consumption.

As a conventional technique for increasing the light emission efficiency, for example, there is a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1. The technique of Patent Document 1 is to increase the discharge start voltage by widening the discharge gap and improve the light emission efficiency.
JP-A-9-330663

  By the way, when the main discharge electrode 2 has a shape as shown in FIG. 15A or FIG. 15B, there is a problem that a large amount of current is consumed for the light emission luminance, and accordingly, the light emission efficiency is poor. there were.

  Moreover, although the technique of Patent Document 1 can improve the light emission efficiency, there is a problem that a high drive voltage is required to widen the discharge gap, which is not practical.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems. A plasma display panel and a plasma that can improve luminous efficiency and increase luminance without increasing driving voltage. An object is to provide a display device.

  In order to solve the above problems, a plasma display panel of the present invention has a plurality of first electrodes extending in a row direction, and a second electrode arranged in parallel to the first electrodes. In a plasma display panel comprising: a first substrate; and a second substrate having a third electrode orthogonal to the first and second electrodes in a display cell, of the first and second electrodes At least one of a first portion that forms a discharge gap between the first and second electrodes at a position including a central axis of the third electrode, and the first and second electrodes. And a second portion that forms the discharge gap narrower than the first portion at a position shifted from the central axis of the third electrode by projecting toward the other electrode. It is a feature.

  In the plasma display panel of the present invention, it is preferable that the second portion is formed at two positions at positions where the first and second electrodes face each other.

  In the plasma display panel of the present invention, it is also preferable that the second portion is formed at two locations of any one of the first and second electrodes.

  In the plasma display panel according to the present invention, it is also preferable that the second portion is formed one by one at a position where the first and second electrodes do not face each other.

  In the plasma display panel of the present invention, it is also preferable that the second portion is shared between display cells adjacent to each other.

  In the plasma display panel of the present invention, it is preferable that the second portion is formed at a position not overlapping with the third electrode.

  In the plasma display panel of the present invention, each of the discharge gaps between each second portion and the other electrode is preferably equal to each other.

  In the plasma display panel according to the present invention, the discharge gap between the first part and the other electrode and the discharge gap between the second part and the other electrode are discontinuous values. It is a preferable example that it is set to.

  In this case, in the first and second portions, a side facing the other electrode is preferably formed in a straight line parallel to the row direction.

  Alternatively, the discharge gap between the second part and the other electrode preferably has a plurality of types of values.

  In the plasma display panel of the present invention, the discharge gap between the second portion and the other electrode has a plurality of values, and the discharge between the second portion and the other electrode. It is also preferable that values of the gap and the discharge gap between the first portion and the other electrode continuously change from each other.

  In the plasma display panel of the present invention, it is preferable that the discharge gap between the second portion and the other electrode gradually change as the distance from the first portion increases.

  In this case, it is preferable that the discharge gap between the second part and the other electrode increases as the distance from the first part increases.

  A plasma display device of the present invention includes the plasma display panel of the present invention and a drive circuit for driving the plasma display panel.

  According to the present invention, since at least one of the first and second electrodes has the first portion and the second portion, the light emission efficiency is improved without increasing the drive voltage. In addition, the luminance can be improved and the power consumption can be reduced.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an AC type plasma display panel and a plasma display device including the same will be described.

[First Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 1, the plasma display panel 50 according to the present embodiment includes insulating substrates 1a and 1b made of a transparent glass substrate or the like so as to face each other.

  Among these, on the insulating substrate (first substrate) 1a, the scan electrode (first electrode) 9 and the sustain electrode (second electrode) 10 are arranged in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval. Has been.

  Scan electrode 9 and sustain electrode 10 are bus electrode 3 for ensuring electrical conductivity in the extending direction (hereinafter referred to as “row direction”) of electrodes 9 and 10, and main discharge electrode for performing sustain discharge, respectively. 2 and a discharge gap is formed between the scan electrode 9 and the sustain electrode 10 adjacent to each other.

Here, the main discharge electrode 2 is made of a transparent electrode made of ITO, SnO ₂ or the like, and the bus electrode 3 is made of a metal such as silver.

  Scan electrode 9 and sustain electrode 10 are covered with dielectric layer 4a, and protective film 5 is provided on dielectric layer 4a in order to protect dielectric layer 4a from discharge.

  On the other hand, the data electrode 6 is disposed on the insulating substrate (second electrode) 1b so as to be orthogonal to the scan electrode 9 and the sustain electrode 10.

  The data electrode 6 is covered with a dielectric layer 4b. On the dielectric layer 4b, a discharge space is secured between the insulating substrates 1a and 1b, and partition walls 7 for partitioning cells are formed in the row direction. And extend in the orthogonal column direction.

  On the dielectric layer 4b where the barrier ribs 7 are not formed and on the side surfaces of the barrier ribs 7, a phosphor 8 for converting ultraviolet rays generated by discharge into visible light is applied.

  A space sandwiched between the insulating substrates 1a and 1b and partitioned by the partition walls 7 is filled with a discharge gas made of helium, neon, xenon, or a mixed gas thereof, for example.

  FIG. 2 shows the shape of the main discharge electrode 2 viewed from the display surface side.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a discharge gap portion 11 between the electrodes 9 and 10 is constituted by a space sandwiched between the main discharge electrode 2 of the scan electrode 9 and the main discharge electrode 2 of the sustain electrode 10.

  Here, in the main discharge electrode 2 of the scan electrode 9 and the main discharge electrode 2 of the sustain electrode 10, the portions facing each other are shaped as described below.

  That is, each main discharge electrode 2 has a first portion 12 opposed to each other via the discharge gap portion 11 at a position overlapping the data electrode 6 when viewed from the display surface side, and an opposed electrode (scanning electrode 9 or sustain electrode). And a second portion 13 that narrows the discharge gap portion 11 between the first portions 12 by projecting toward the electrode 10) side.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the second portion 13 is formed at two positions at positions where the main discharge electrode 2 of the scan electrode 9 and the main discharge electrode 2 of the sustain electrode 10 face each other.

  Here, the second portion 13 included in one main discharge electrode 2 is arranged on both sides of the first portion 12 in the row direction so as not to overlap the data electrode 6 when viewed from the display surface side.

  Moreover, each of the intervals between the second portions 13 facing each other across the discharge gap portion 11 is set to be equal to each other, for example.

  Further, in the case of the present embodiment, for example, in the first portion 12 and the second portion 13, the sides facing the opposing electrode (scanning electrode 9 or sustaining electrode 10) side are linearly parallel to the row direction. Is formed. Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, the value of the discharge gap between the scan electrode 9 and the sustain electrode 10 is between the discharge gap between the first portions 12 facing each other and between the second portions 13 facing each other. The discharge gap is only binary.

  In order to drive the plasma display panel 50 according to the present embodiment, for example, the conventional driving method described with reference to FIG. 16 can be used.

  According to the plasma display panel 50 according to the present embodiment, compared with the conventional plasma display panel having the main discharge electrode 2 shown in FIG. 14 and the plan view thereof shown in FIG. 15A or FIG. Luminous efficiency can be improved without increasing the discharge start voltage. The reason will be described below.

  Increasing the gap between the scan electrode and the sustain electrode improves the light emission efficiency, but it is disclosed in Patent Document 1 that the discharge start voltage increases.

  On the other hand, in the case of the plasma display panel 50 according to the present embodiment, the discharge gap between the first portion 12 of the scan electrode 9 and the second portion 13 of the sustain electrode 10 and the second portion 13 of the scan electrode 9. And the discharge gap between the second portion 13 of the sustain electrode 10 is narrower than the discharge gap between the first portions 12 of the electrodes 9 and 10, the discharge start voltage is determined by the narrow gap.

  Further, since the projecting second portion 13 has a small electrode area, the effective voltage decreases due to the formation of wall charges by discharge, and the discharge in the second portion 13 ends. The discharge in the portion 12 is started, and highly efficient light emission can be obtained.

  The same applies to discharge of reverse polarity, and high-efficiency light emission can be obtained by the action of the second portion 13 that suppresses the voltage rise. The sustain discharge continues while the polarities of scan electrode 9 and sustain electrode 10 are reversed. For this reason, as in a second embodiment (FIG. 9) described later, the first and first electrodes are applied only to one of the scan electrode 9 and the sustain electrode 10 (for example, the sustain electrode 10 as shown in FIG. 9). Of the main discharge electrode 2 of the other electrode (for example, the scan electrode 9 as shown in FIG. 9), the side facing the one electrode (for example, the sustain electrode 10 in this case) The same effect can be obtained when 15 is formed linearly.

  FIG. 3 shows the effect of improving the light emission efficiency in this embodiment.

  In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis represents the drive sustain voltage (Vsus), and the vertical axis represents the relative value of the luminous efficiency. In FIG. 3, the luminous efficiency at Vsus = 165 V in the case of the conventional example is 1.

  According to the measurement results shown in FIG. 3, it can be seen that the luminous efficiency has improved by nearly 10%. Note that the minimum drive voltage is substantially the same between this conventional example and this embodiment. That is, the light emission efficiency can be improved without increasing the drive voltage.

  FIG. 4 shows the effect of increasing the brightness in this embodiment.

  In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis is the drive sustain voltage (Vsus), and the vertical axis is the luminance relative value. In FIG. 4, the luminance at Vsus = 165 V in the case of the conventional example is 1.

  From the results shown in FIG. 4, it can be seen that the luminance can be improved according to the present embodiment.

  Next, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the plasma display device 100 according to this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the plasma display device 100 according to the present embodiment is designed to have a module structure, and specifically includes an analog interface 20 and a plasma display panel module 30.

  The analog interface 20 includes a Y / C separation circuit 21 having a chroma decoder, an A / D conversion circuit 22, a synchronization signal control circuit 23 having a PLL circuit, an image format conversion circuit 24, and an inverse γ (gamma) conversion. The circuit 25 and the system control circuit 26 are included.

  Schematically, the analog interface 20 converts the received analog video signal into a digital video signal, and then supplies the digital video signal to the plasma display panel module 30.

  For example, an analog video signal transmitted from a TV tuner is decomposed into RGB luminance signals in the Y / C separation circuit 21 and then converted into digital signals in the A / D conversion circuit 22.

  Thereafter, when the pixel configuration of the plasma display panel module 30 is different from the pixel configuration of the video signal, the image format conversion circuit 24 performs necessary image format conversion.

  The display luminance characteristic with respect to the input signal of the plasma display panel is linearly proportional, but a normal video signal is corrected (γ-converted) in advance in accordance with the CRT characteristic. For this reason, after the A / D conversion of the video signal is performed in the A / D conversion circuit 22, the inverse γ conversion circuit 25 performs the inverse γ conversion on the video signal, and the digital video signal restored to the linear characteristic is obtained. Generate. This digital video signal is output to the plasma display panel module 30 as an RGB video signal.

  Since the analog video signal does not include the sampling clock and data clock signal for A / D conversion, the synchronization signal control circuit 23 uses the horizontal synchronization signal supplied simultaneously with the analog video signal as a reference and the sampling clock and A data clock signal is generated and output to the plasma display panel module 30.

  The system control circuit 26 outputs various control signals to the plasma display panel module 30.

  The plasma display panel module 30 includes a digital signal processing / control circuit 31 and a panel unit 32.

  The digital signal processing / control circuit 31 includes an input interface signal processing circuit 34, a frame memory 35, a memory control circuit 36, and a driver control circuit 37.

  The input interface signal processing circuit 34 includes various control signals transmitted from the system control circuit 26, RGB video signals transmitted from the inverse γ conversion circuit 25, synchronization signals transmitted from the synchronization signal control circuit 23, and transmission from the PLL circuit. Receive a data clock signal.

  The digital signal processing / control circuit 31 transmits these control signals to the panel unit 32 after processing these various signals in the input interface signal processing circuit 34. At the same time, the memory control circuit 36 and the driver control circuit 37 transmit a memory control signal and a driver control signal to the panel unit 32.

  The panel unit 32 includes a plasma display panel 50, a scan driver 38 that drives the scan electrodes, a data driver 39 that drives the data electrodes, and a high-voltage pulse circuit 40 that supplies a pulse voltage to the plasma display panel 50 and the scan driver 38. , Is composed of.

  In the plasma display panel 50, the scanning driver 38 controls the scanning electrodes, and the data driver 39 controls the data electrodes, so that lighting or non-lighting of predetermined pixels among these pixels is controlled, and a desired display is performed. Is done.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the light emission efficiency can be improved without increasing the drive voltage, the luminance can be improved, and the power consumption can be reduced. it can.

  In the first embodiment, the example in which the width of the connection portion 16 between the main discharge electrode 2 and the bus electrode 3 is smaller than the sum of the widths of the first and second portions 12 and 13 has been described. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the width of the connecting portion 16 may be the same as the sum. Furthermore, although illustration is omitted, the width of the connecting portion 16 may be larger than the sum.

  In the first embodiment, the example in which the connection portion 16 between the main discharge electrode 2 and the bus electrode 3 is one has been described. However, the same effect can be obtained even when the connection is made at a plurality of locations. That is, the number of connecting portions 16 may be two, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, or may be three or more although not shown.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, an example has been described in which the second portion 13 is formed at two positions at positions facing each other of the main discharge electrodes 2 on the scan electrode 9 side and the sustain electrode 10 side. However, as shown in FIG. 8, the second portion 13 is located at a position where the main discharge electrodes 2 on the scan electrode 9 side and the sustain electrode 10 side do not face each other, and is opposite to each other with the data electrode 6 interposed therebetween. It may be formed one by one at a position on the side (specifically, for example, a point-symmetrical position around the center of the discharge gap portion 11).

[Second Embodiment]
The plasma display panel and the plasma display device according to the second embodiment are the same as the plasma display panel 50 (FIG. 1) and the plasma display device (FIG. 5) according to the first embodiment except for the shape of the main discharge electrode 2. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the plasma display panel according to the second embodiment viewed from the display surface side. Hereinafter, the same components as those in the plasma display panel 50 according to the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted, and the second embodiment will be described.

  In the case of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, only the main discharge electrode 2 of the scan electrode 9 or the sustain electrode 10 (for example, the sustain electrode 10 as shown in FIG. 9) is the first. And the second portions 12 and 13, and the side 15 facing the one electrode (for example, the sustain electrode 10) in the main discharge electrode 2 of the other electrode (for example, the scan electrode 9 as shown in FIG. 9). Is formed in a straight line.

  Similarly to the case of the first embodiment, the plasma display panel according to the present embodiment can also be driven using, for example, the conventional driving method described with reference to FIG.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the same effect as in the case of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[Third Embodiment]
The plasma display panel and the plasma display device according to the third embodiment are the same as the plasma display panel 50 (FIG. 1) and the plasma display device (FIG. 5) according to the first embodiment except for the shape of the main discharge electrode 2. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the plasma display panel according to the third embodiment viewed from the display surface side. Hereinafter, the same components as those in the plasma display panel 50 according to the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted, and the third embodiment will be described.

  In the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the main discharge electrode 2 is arranged between adjacent cells so that the second portion 13 is shared between adjacent cells (between display cells). The second portions 13 are formed continuously with each other.

  Similarly to the case of the first embodiment, the plasma display panel according to the present embodiment can also be driven using, for example, the conventional driving method described with reference to FIG.

  Also in this embodiment, the same effect as in the case of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[Fourth Embodiment]
The plasma display panel and the plasma display device according to the fourth embodiment are the same as the plasma display panel 50 (FIG. 1) and the plasma display device (FIG. 5) according to the first embodiment except for the shape of the main discharge electrode 2. FIG. 11 is a plan view of the plasma display panel according to the fourth embodiment viewed from the display surface side. Hereinafter, the fourth embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals given to the same components as those in the plasma display panel 50 according to the first embodiment and the description thereof being omitted.

  In each of the above embodiments, the discharge gap between the first portions 12 facing each other, and the second portion 13 and the second portion 13 are opposed to each other across the discharge gap portion 11 ( The discharge gap between the scanning electrode 9 and the sustain electrode 10) is set to a discontinuous value, and the opposing sides of the second portion 13 and the other electrode are formed in parallel to each other. Therefore, the example in which the value of the discharge gap between the second portion 13 and the other electrode is constant has been described.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the discharge gap between the second portion 13 and the other electrode has a plurality of values, and the discharge gap between the first portions 12 facing each other, An example in which the value of the discharge gap between the portion 13 and the other electrode continuously changes from one another will be described.

  That is, in the case of the present embodiment, the second portion 13 has a shape having an apex on the side of the facing electrode (scanning electrode 9 or sustaining electrode 10), and the second portion 13 that faces the second portion 13 becomes farther away from the first portion 12. It has an inclination that increases the distance from the portion 13. For this reason, the discharge gap between the opposing second portions 13 increases as the distance from the first portion 12 increases. That is, the discharge gap between the second portion 13 and the other electrode has a plurality of types of values.

  Further, in the second portion 13, the value of the discharge gap in the portion having the largest discharge gap, that is, the portion farthest from the first portion 12 is substantially equal to the discharge gap between the first portions 12 facing each other. Is set. For this reason, the discharge gap between the first portions 12 facing each other and the discharge gap between the second portion 13 and the other electrode are mutually continuous.

  Similarly to the case of the first embodiment, the plasma display panel according to the present embodiment can also be driven using, for example, the conventional driving method described with reference to FIG.

  According to the present embodiment, the same effect as in the case of the first embodiment can be obtained, and in the case of the same discharge start voltage, a larger discharge gap can be ensured, and the luminous efficiency can be improved. Improvement and improvement in luminance can be achieved.

  In the fourth embodiment, the discharge gap between the first portions 12 facing each other and the discharge gap between the second portion 13 and the other electrode are continuous in value. However, the fourth embodiment is not limited to this example. That is, the discharge gap between the first portions 12 facing each other and the second portion 12 and the other electrode (between the second portions 12 facing each other or the second portion 12). When the discharge gap between the second portion 13 and the other electrode is set to a discontinuous value, the discharge gap between the second portion 13 and the other electrode has a plurality of types of values. You may make it have. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, the shape of the inclined portion of the second portion 13 is formed in the same manner as in the fourth embodiment, and the second portion 13 is most discharged. The value of the discharge gap in the portion where the gap is large, that is, the portion farthest from the first portion 12 is also set to a value smaller than the discharge gap between the opposed first portions 12. Or although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, by making the shape of the site | part which opposes another electrode in the 2nd part 13 into the shape from which protrusion length changes to step shape, the 2nd part 13 and the other electrode The discharge gap may be changed stepwise as the distance from the first portion 12 increases.

  Note that the features of the shape of the main discharge electrode 2 described in the above embodiments can be combined with each other, and in that case, the same effect can be obtained.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the main discharge electrodes 2 between adjacent cells may be connected to each other by a portion other than the second portion 13.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a plasma display panel according to a first embodiment. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the principal part at the time of seeing the plasma display panel of FIG. 1 from the display surface side. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a plasma display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the principal part at the time of seeing the plasma display panel which concerns on the modification of 1st Embodiment from the display surface side. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the principal part at the time of seeing the plasma display panel which concerns on the modification of 1st Embodiment from the display surface side. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the principal part at the time of seeing the plasma display panel which concerns on the modification of 1st Embodiment from the display surface side. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the principal part at the time of seeing the plasma display panel which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention from the display surface side. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the principal part at the time of seeing the plasma display panel which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention from the display surface side. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the principal part at the time of seeing the plasma display panel which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention from the display surface side. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the principal part at the time of seeing the plasma display panel which concerns on the modification of 4th Embodiment from the display surface side. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the principal part at the time of seeing the plasma display panel which concerns on the other modification of embodiment of this invention from the display surface side. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the conventional plasma display panel. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the principal part at the time of seeing the plasma display panel of FIG. 14 from the display surface side. It is a figure explaining the drive voltage waveform which drives the conventional plasma display panel.

Explanation of symbols

1a Insulating substrate (first substrate)
1b Insulating substrate (second substrate)
9 Scanning electrode (first electrode)
10 Sustain electrode (second electrode)
6 Data electrode (third electrode)
11 Discharge gap (discharge gap)
12 1st part 13 2nd part 50 Plasma display panel 100 Plasma display apparatus

Claims (14)

A first substrate having a plurality of first electrodes extending in a row direction and a second electrode arranged in parallel to the first electrodes; and the first and second electrodes A plasma display panel comprising: a second substrate having a third electrode orthogonal to the display cell;
At least one of the first and second electrodes is
A first portion forming a discharge gap between the first and second electrodes at a position including the central axis of the third electrode;
By projecting toward the other of the first and second electrodes, the discharge gap is formed narrower than the first portion at a position shifted from the central axis of the third electrode. A second part;
A plasma display panel comprising:   2. The plasma display panel according to claim 1, wherein the second portion is formed at two positions at positions where the first and second electrodes face each other.   2. The plasma display panel according to claim 1, wherein the second portion is formed at two positions of any one of the first and second electrodes.   2. The plasma display panel according to claim 1, wherein the second portion is formed one by one at a position where the first and second electrodes do not face each other.   The plasma display panel according to claim 1, wherein the second portion is shared between display cells adjacent to each other.   The plasma display panel according to claim 1, wherein the second portion is formed at a position that does not overlap the third electrode.   The plasma display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each of the discharge gaps between each second portion and the other electrode is equal to each other.   The discharge gap between the first part and the other electrode and the discharge gap between the second part and the other electrode are set to discontinuous values. The plasma display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 7.   9. The plasma display panel according to claim 8, wherein in the first and second portions, the sides facing the other electrode are each formed in a straight line parallel to the row direction.   The plasma display panel according to claim 8, wherein a discharge gap between the second portion and the other electrode has a plurality of types of values. The discharge gap between the second part and the other electrode has a plurality of types of values,
The discharge gap between the second part and the other electrode and the discharge gap between the first part and the other electrode have values that continuously change from each other. Item 8. The plasma display panel according to any one of Items 1 to 7.   The plasma display panel according to claim 10 or 11, wherein a discharge gap between the second part and the other electrode gradually changes as the distance from the first part increases.   The plasma display panel according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein a discharge gap between the second part and the other electrode increases as the distance from the first part increases. A plasma display device comprising: the plasma display panel according to claim 1; and a drive circuit that drives the plasma display panel.

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