JPH0650426B2 - Driving method for gas discharge panel - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for driving a gas discharge panel, and more particularly to a new display address method for a surface discharge type gas discharge panel using wall voltage polarities with less crosstalk. It is about.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, an electrode group of two layers arranged in a direction intersecting each other through an insulating film is provided only on one substrate that defines a gas filled space, and discharge is generated near the intersection of the upper layer electrode and the lower layer electrode. A surface discharge type gas discharge panel is known. Further, a surface discharge panel in which a display cell and a selection address cell are provided separately is also disclosed in JP-A-55-113237 and JP-A-57-7.
Proposed in 8751, etc. This display / address separation type surface discharge panel with the latter structure is effective for extending the life of color panels using phosphors.
By combining the sustain electrode pair and the selection electrode, a decoding function for the address signal can be added inside the panel, and the advantage that the drive circuit is simple for the number of electrodes and the conventional discharge due to the surface discharge structure It is characterized in that the equivalent gap distance can be accurately obtained by an electrode manufacturing means such as photolithography, instead of the gap accuracy of the gas discharge space.

However, in the display / address separation type panel, since one picture element includes two cells of a display cell and a selection cell,
In the conventional address method, it is difficult to secure an operation margin, and there is a possibility that a malfunction may occur due to a change in power supply or a change in panel characteristics over time.

Further, when the decoding function is added, since a plurality of sustain electrodes are commonly connected, it is not possible to complete the address of only a plurality of address cells on one sustain electrode pair at a time, which causes a problem of display speed reduction. was there.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention has an object to provide a new display addressing method for a surface discharge type gas discharge panel, and more specifically, a display cell and a selected cell are separated from each other. In the surface discharge type panel of No. 3, among all the display cells that were once turned on by the sustain electrode unit, the erasing operation was applied to the selected cell adjacent to the display cell that does not need to be displayed, and the display cell at the point to be displayed is left. In the display address method, the wall voltage polarity is reversed only for the cells on the sustain electrodes including the cells to be selected, which is the main point of the present invention, and the polarity of the address pulse to be applied next and the wall voltage are mutually strengthened for selection. Stabilize the operation by adopting the method that cells on the line are easy to discharge and cells on the non-selected line are difficult to discharge,
The present invention is intended to expand the operation margin, lower voltage address, and the same address line simultaneous address.

[Means for solving problems]

Briefly, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has a plurality of sustain electrode pairs, which are paired adjacent to the inner surface of one of a pair of substrates defining a gas space, as a dielectric layer. And a plurality of selection electrodes are arranged above each of the sustain electrode pairs in a direction intersecting with the sustain electrodes, and one of the sustain electrodes of each of the sustain electrode pairs and each of the select electrodes are arranged. The ignition voltage is exceeded between the selected sustain electrode pairs in the gas discharge panel in which the select discharge cells are formed at the intersections and the display discharge cells are formed between the sustain electrodes that are paired adjacent to the select discharge cells. Means for temporarily igniting all the display cells on the electrode pair by applying a voltage, and inverting the wall voltage polarity only to a plurality of cells including the selected sustain electrode pair immediately before addressing, which is the gist of the present invention. Pulse and A means for reversing the wall voltage polarity of the discharge cell on the pole, and then an operation for generating an erase discharge on the selection electrode forming the selection cell adjacent to the display cell not requiring display on the selected sustain electrode pair, Then, means for continuously applying a sustain voltage to all the display cells on the selective sustain electrodes.

[Work]

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention comprises a display cell and a selection cell for selecting the display cell. First, after all the display cells on one sustain electrode pair are ignited, the sustain pulse is applied to the sustain electrode. After inversion of the wall charges by adding, a discharge pulse having a polarity that neutralizes the inversion wall charges on the sustain electrodes is applied to the selection cells adjacent to the non-display cells on the sustain electrodes, Due to the discharge, the display-needed adjacent cells lose the wall charges and are erased.

An already-discharged cell that is not erased and to which a half-selective discharge pulse is applied is
In order not to invert the polarity of the wall voltage, the electric field of the half-selective discharge pulse is weakened by this wall charge and no discharge is generated, so that the discharge is connected in the display cell by the next sustain pulse.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a waveform example using an asymmetrical pulse which is an effective use method of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of an electrode arrangement showing an example configuration of a surface discharge type gas discharge panel to which the present invention is applied ( FIG. 3B is a sectional view (b) and (c) of a main part (b) ′ to (b) ″ and (c) ′ to (c) ″ shown in FIG. For convenience of explanation, the structure of the surface discharge type gas discharge panel will be described first, but the description will be made by taking the one described in Japanese Patent Application No. 59-53189 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-196797) previously submitted as an example. That is, two pairs of sustain electrode pairs 1 are formed on the lower glass substrate 10 that functions as an electrode supporting substrate.
A plurality of electrodes 1 arranged in the vertical direction, and a selection electrode 1 extending in the horizontal direction with an insulating layer 12 made of low melting point glass interposed therebetween.
3 and separator electrode 1 used in a floating state
4 are provided. A surface layer 15 of several thousand liters made of magnesium oxide (MgO) is formed on the upper selection electrode and the separator electrode, and a gas space 17 surrounded by an upper glass substrate 16 for a cover is provided above the surface layer 15. ing.

The sustain electrode pair, which is typically indicated by the reference numeral 11, is composed of two adjacent sustain electrodes, that is, X ₁ , Y ₁ and X ₂ , Y in FIG. comprises _two such as pairs, each sustain electrode pair is provided with a widened discharging unit x and y to be close to each other. And this discharge part x and y
Is provided with selection electrodes W ₁ and W ₂ typically shown by reference numeral 13, and a separator electrode 14 in a floating state is provided along the selection electrode on a side distant from the discharge part. Has been. Thus, each selection electrode W ₁ ,
Selection cells T are formed at the intersections of W ₂ and one of the sustain electrodes Y ₁ and Y ₂ , respectively, and a display cell K is provided between the discharge portions x and y of each sustain electrode pair in the vicinity thereof. It becomes the formed shape. As one modified example, the selection cells are selection electrodes W ₁ and W ₂
And one of the sustain electrodes X ₁ and X ₂ may intersect. At this time, the conditions of the applied waveform are different from those in this description, but here, the description will be made assuming that the electrode W-Y is a selection cell. Discharge T at the selection electrode T (the same symbol seems to be confusing,
Part of speech will be added before the symbol to distinguish them. ) Gives a large change to the adjacent display discharge K through the influence of the inflow of space charges and the electric field effect of wall charges. That is, JP-A-57
-Selection discharge T is display discharge K as described in -78751.
On the other hand, the display discharge K can be extinguished as described below. Rather, it is more stable to discharge a large number of cells at the same time with a sufficient write pulse, then apply an erase pulse to prompt recombination of space charges and erase, rather than generating a single discharge to write. Is becoming known. A specific example will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 3 is an electrode diagram of one basic configuration example panel according to the present invention having 2 × 4 = 8 display cells.

All the sustain electrode pairs are divided into a plurality of groups, and electrodes X ₁ and X _{2 in} which one adjacent sustain electrode is commonly connected and the other sustain electrode in each group are commonly connected to each other in common. ₁ and Y _{2 form} display cells K ₁₁ , K ₁₂ ... K _{42 and} are responsible for sustaining discharge. The selection cells T ₁₁ , T _12, ... T ₄₂ formed at the intersections of the other selection electrodes W ₁ , W ₂ and one of the sustain electrodes Y ₁ , Y ₂ are display discharge cells K ₁₁ , K _{12 ,.} It is provided in close proximity to K ₄₂ and is in a state where it can affect the wall charge and space charge for each discharge. First preferred drive waveform example for driving this
Shown in the figure. First of all, the basic idea of this waveform is:
Asymmetric selection voltage larger the sustain electrodes Y ₂ forming a selection electrode and the counter added, practically the number is much more required selection electrode W ₁ of the drive element to the electrodes are independent, W _2, etc. in This makes it possible to apply a low-voltage operation IC element, which is easy to manufacture, to drive the selection electrodes W ₁ , W _2, etc. by reducing the required address voltage to a small voltage.

The waveform in FIG. ₁ is a display formed between the sustain electrode pairs X ₁ and Y ₂ assuming that the panel having the configuration shown in FIG. 3 is an operating panel in which ignited cells and unignited cells are mixed. This is an example of drive waveforms in the case where cell K ₂₂ is newly ignited, K ₂₁ is newly ignited, and all other cells are stored in the previous operating state, that is, the waveform and the selection line.
X ₁ , non-selected lines X ₂ , Y ₁ and selected line Y ₂ are the waveforms of the sustain voltage applied to sustain electrodes X ₁ , X ₂ , Y ₁ , and Y ₂ , respectively.
W ₁ and W ₂ are the waveforms applied to the selective electrodes W ₁ and W ₂ , respectively. Waveform, non-selected display cell X ₁ − Y ₁ , selected display cell X ₁ −
Y _2, non-selected display cells _{X 2 -Y 1, X 2 -Y} 2 is a sustain voltage waveform applied between each of the sustain electrodes, depicting the direction in which the direction of the electric field is directed from the electrode X side to the electrode Y as a positive The waveform and the selected cell T ₂₁ show the selective discharge generated in the selected cell T ₂₁ , and the waveform wall voltage K ₂₁ , K ₂₂ , K _41.
Represents the wall voltage observed as a result of the discharge of the cells K ₂₁ , K ₂₂ , and K ₄₁ , respectively. The part surrounded by circles R ₁ and R ₂ in Fig. ₁ is
The characteristic operation part of this invention is shown. In addition, the X in the waveform in the figure
The marked waveform shows the address waveform.

One of all cells firing pulses m ₃ in the pair in the sustain electrodes X ₁ -Y ₂ in the timing shown by A ₃ now allowed to generate the other of all the cells firing pulses m ₄ to the sustain electrodes Y ₂ forming a pair And all the cells on the sustain electrode pair X ₁ −Y ₂ have a wave height exceeding the discharge voltage m ₃ + m ₄
Ignited to obtain a pulse, and then not selected after two cycles of the stabilizing cycle, that is, one of the sustain electrodes X ₁ Field of the cell K ₂₁ to be erased enclosed by a circle R ₁ q ₅ becomes immediately preceding sustain pulse When a pair of pulses is applied to restart the discharge, only the discharging cell belonging to the electrode X ₁ inverts the wall voltage. By doing so, the operation of the cell K ₄₁ which is half-selected on the electrode Y ₂ becomes extremely stable. That is, when the cell K ₄₁ is being ignited, the selected cell T ₂₁ of the cell K ₂₁ to be erased is selected.
Due to the polarity of the wall charge due to the discharge of the cell, in the cell K ₂₁ , the inflow wall charge acts in the direction to neutralize the existing wall charge as indicated by the circle R ₂ , while in the cell K ₄₁ , the already accumulated charge is a half-selected pulse. Since the electric field of is weakened, no discharge occurs. Therefore cell K ₄₁
The discharge is sustained by the sustain voltage applied to the subsequent X electrode, and is not erased by the half-selection pulse.

On the other hand, assuming that the cell K ₁₁ belongs to the same sustain electrode X ₁ and is an ignited cell on the non-selective sustain electrode, the cell K ₁₁ also inverts the wall voltage by the pulse q ₅ , but a pair of non-selective sustain electrodes is used. Since no large selective pulse q ₃ is applied to the electrode Y ₁ as on the selected sustain electrode Y ₂ , the cell K ₁₁ is not connected to the cell K _11.
No change occurs in the erase operation of ₂₁ . Under such a condition, when the selection pulse p ₃ is applied to the selection electrode W ₁ and nothing is added to the selection electrode W ₂ belonging to the display cell K ₂₂ to be selected, the display cell K ₂₁ becomes the selection cell. By the neutralization effect of T _{21 with} the discharge charge, the wall charge is erased by erasing the wall charge as shown in the circle R ₂ of the wall charge diagram K ₂₁ , and the cell K ₂₂ is reapplied with the sustain voltage without losing the wall charge. It is as already described that the discharge is restarted.

〔The invention's effect〕

As is apparent from the above description, in the present invention, the display cell and the selection cell for selecting the display cell are separated. To describe the basic operation of this panel, first, the display on one sustain electrode pair is displayed. After all the cells are ignited, a sustain pulse is applied to the sustain electrodes to invert the wall charge, and then a selective cell adjacent to a display cell not displayed on the sustain electrodes is ignited with a specific polarity pulse, and this selection is performed. The cell to be displayed is utilized by utilizing the phenomenon that the wall charge of the display cell adjacent to the storage cell sharing the sustain electrode is drastically reduced by recombination, and the light emission does not restart even by the next applied sustain voltage. Addressing is the main idea.

By reversing the wall voltage polarity with the already discharged cells to which the half-selective discharge pulse is applied, even if the selective discharge charges flow into the sustain electrodes, the wall charges of the display cells to be erased have the neutralizing polarity and erase. In the non-selected cell, the wall voltage is strengthened with the same polarity to prevent malfunction. In addition, since all cells on the selective sustain electrode pair are indiscriminately ignited with an ignition pulse of a voltage with a sufficient margin and the display cells to be selected are left by erasing unnecessary cells, it is difficult to light the discharge cells. The problem of is solved, and in this respect, the certainty of the operation and the increase of the margin are recognized.

Further, when the asymmetrical sustaining voltage method described in the embodiment is used, the above-mentioned effect and the low voltage operation IC which is easier to manufacture than the conventional one are obtained.
A gas discharge display device that can be controlled by elements can be realized. or,
The same line simultaneous address can be realized even in the above-mentioned wiring provided with the decoding function, and the drive circuit can be simplified without lowering the drive speed. Therefore, the present invention is extremely useful for putting a display address separation type surface discharge panel into practical use.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a preferred waveform example applied to the present invention.
FIG. 1 (a) is a plan view of the essential parts showing the electrode arrangement of a surface discharge type gas discharge panel to which the present invention is applied, and FIGS. 2 (b) and 2 (c) are cross-sectional views of the essential parts of the panel viewed from the two side faces. FIG. 3 is a panel functional electrode diagram for explaining the basic operation of the present invention. In the figure, 10 is a substrate, 11 is a sustain electrode pair, 12 is an insulating layer, 13 is a writing electrode, 14 is a separator electrode, 15 is a surface layer, 16 is a cover glass substrate, 17 is a gas space, X ₁
, X ₂ is one sustain electrode Y ₁ and Y ₂ is the other sustain electrode, W ₁
And W ₂ are selection electrodes, T, T ₁₁ ...... T ₄₂ are selection cells,
K, K ₁₁ , ... K ₄₂ is a symbol that represents the display cell and the wall voltage of that cell, A ₃ is the timing for igniting all the cells formed by one sustain electrode pair, and E ₃ is the display unnecessary cell. Timing, m ₃ and m ₄ are line all-cell ignition pulses, p ₃ is a selection pulse, and q ₅ and q ₃ are paired selection pulses.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pair of substrates (10, 1) defining a gas space (17).
(6) A plurality of sustain electrode pairs (11), which are paired adjacent to the inner surface of one substrate (10), are covered with a dielectric layer (12) and arranged, and a plurality of selection electrodes (13) are arranged. ) Are arranged above each of the sustain electrode pairs in a direction crossing the sustain electrodes, and a select discharge cell (T _ij ) is formed at the intersection of one sustain electrode of each sustain electrode pair and each select electrode. In addition, in a gas discharge panel in which a display discharge cell (K _ij ) is formed between a pair of sustain electrodes adjacent to each selection discharge cell, a pair of display discharge cells to be selected is included. After discharging all the display discharge cell groups between the sustain electrodes once, a pulse for wall charge inversion is selectively applied only between the sustain electrode pairs of the selected line to invert the polarity of the wall charges. , The discharge pulse between the unnecessary discharge cells for display on the selected line and the adjacent discharge cells for selection. Is applied so that the wall charge polarity generated on the sustain electrodes constituting the selection discharge cells and the inverted wall charge polarity are opposite to each other so that the wall charges of the unnecessary display cells are erased. A driving method of a characteristic gas discharge panel.