JPH11305213A - Plasma address display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a high aperature ratio and high resolution for the plasma address display device. SOLUTION: The plasma address display device is constituted of a flat panel 0, a scanning circuit 22 and a signal circuit 21. The flat panel 0 has laminated structure obtained by mutually laminating a plasma cell having scanning electrodes X0 to Xn arrayed like rows and a display cell having signal electrodes Y0 to Ym arrayed like columns. The scanning circuit 22 successively impresses selective pulses to the scanning electrodes X0 to Xn to scan the display cell. The signal circuit 21 supplies image data to the signal electrodes Y0 to Ym synchronously with scanning to write the image data in each of scanning lines 51, 52. Row-like discharge channels 5 which are mutually separated are formed on the plasma cell, gas to be discharged is contained in each discharge channel 5 and plural scanning electrodes X are allocated to each discharge channel 5. The circuit 22 impresses selection pulses to the scanning electrodes X1, X2 allocated to one discharge channel 5 to discharge electricity and two scanning lines 51, 52 are formed on one discharge channel 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a plasma addressed display device having a flat panel on which a display cell and a plasma cell are stacked, and peripheral circuits. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technique for increasing the resolution of a scanning line formed in a plasma cell.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A plasma addressed display device is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-265931, and its structure is shown in FIG. As shown, the plasma addressed display device has a flat panel structure including a display cell 1, a plasma cell 2, and a common intermediate sheet 3 interposed between the display cell 1 and the plasma cell 2. The intermediate sheet 3 is made of an extremely thin plate glass or the like and is called a micro sheet. The plasma cell 2 is composed of a lower glass substrate 4 bonded to the intermediate sheet 3, and a gas that can be discharged is sealed in a gap between the two. On the inner surface of the lower glass substrate 4, scanning electrodes in the form of stripes are formed. Each of these scan electrodes is an anode A
And functions as a cathode K. A partition wall 7 is formed so as to partition the anode A and the cathode K one by one, and a gap filled with a dischargeable gas is divided to form a discharge channel 5. Adjacent discharge channels 5 are barrier ribs 7
Are isolated from each other. The partition wall 7 can be printed and fired by a screen printing method, and the top portion is the intermediate sheet 3.
Abuts on one side. A plasma discharge is generated between the anode A and the cathode K in the discharge channel 5 surrounded by the pair of partition walls 7. The intermediate sheet 3 and the lower glass substrate 4 are joined to each other by a glass frit or the like.

On the other hand, the display cell 1 is configured using a transparent upper glass substrate 8. The glass substrate 8 is adhered to the other surface of the intermediate sheet 3 with a sealing material or the like via a predetermined gap.
Is enclosed. A signal electrode Y is formed on the inner surface of the upper glass substrate 8. Matrix pixels are formed at the intersections of the signal electrodes Y and the discharge channels 5.
A color filter 13 is also provided on the inner surface of the glass substrate 8, and for example, three primary colors of RGB are assigned to each pixel.
The flat panel having such a configuration is of a transmission type, for example, in which the plasma cell 2 is located on the incident side and the display cell 1 is located on the emitting side. The backlight 12 is connected to the plasma cell 2.
Attached to the side.

In the plasma addressed display device having such a configuration, a row-shaped discharge channel 5 where plasma discharge is performed is provided.
Are switched line-sequentially and scanning is performed, and display driving is performed by applying image data to the column-shaped signal electrodes Y on the display cell 1 side in synchronization with the scanning. When a plasma discharge is generated in the discharge channel 5, the inside becomes almost uniformly at the anode potential, and pixel selection is performed for each scanning line. That is,
One discharge channel 5 corresponds to one scanning line and functions as a sampling switch. When image data is applied to each pixel while the plasma sampling switch is turned on, sampling is performed and lighting or extinguishing of the pixel can be controlled. After the plasma sampling switch is turned off, the image data is held in the pixel as it is. That is, the display cell 1 performs image display by modulating incident light from the backlight 12 into outgoing light in accordance with image data.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing only two pixels cut out. In this figure, for ease of understanding, two signal electrodes Y1 and Y2 and one cathode K1 and 1
Only the book anode A1 is shown. Individual pixels 11
Are the signal electrodes Y1, Y2, the liquid crystal 9, the intermediate sheet 3
And a discharge channel. The discharge channel is substantially connected to the anode potential during the plasma discharge. When image data is applied to each of the signal electrodes Y1 and Y2 in this state, charges are injected into the liquid crystal 9 and the intermediate sheet 3. On the other hand, when the plasma discharge ends, the discharge channel returns to the insulating state, and becomes a floating potential, and the injected charge is held in each pixel 11. A so-called sampling hold operation is performed. Accordingly, the discharge channels function as individual sampling switching elements provided in the individual pixels 11, and are thus schematically represented using the switching symbols S1. On the other hand, the signal electrodes Y1, Y2
The liquid crystal 9 and the intermediate sheet 3 held between the and the discharge channel function as a sampling capacitor. When the sampling switch S1 is turned on by line-sequential scanning, the image data is written into the sampling capacitor, and each pixel is turned on or off according to the data voltage level. Even after the sampling switch S1 is turned off, the data voltage is held in the sampling capacitor, and the active matrix operation of the display device is performed. Note that the effective voltage actually applied to the liquid crystal 9 is determined by the capacitance division with the intermediate sheet 3.

[0006]

In the plasma addressed display device having the above-described structure, it is necessary to increase the density of pixels arranged in a matrix when increasing the resolution of an image. In order to reduce the size of pixels in the horizontal direction (row direction), the line width of the columnar signal electrodes may be reduced. Further, in order to make the pixels finer in the vertical direction (column direction), the arrangement pitch of the row discharge channels may be reduced. However, the individual discharge channels are separated from each other by partition walls. From the viewpoint of processing technology, it is difficult to make the thickness of the partition extremely thin, and the minimum thickness is determined in order to secure mechanical strength and the like. For this reason, when the arrangement pitch of the discharge channels is reduced, the portion occupied by the thickness of the partition wall becomes relatively large, and the area of the aperture through which light actually passes is sacrificed. In other words, as the number of discharge channels, that is, the number of scanning lines increases, the aperture ratio of the panel decreases. Further, since the partition walls have a certain height, they block light rays incident obliquely. Therefore, as the arrangement pitch of the partition walls becomes shorter, the ratio of obstruction of incident light rays becomes larger, and the viewing angle when viewed from an observer becomes narrower.

When the definition of a plasma addressed display device is increased, there is a limitation in a process of manufacturing a partition and a scanning electrode, and the aperture ratio is inevitably reduced. As a result, the brightness of the display becomes insufficient. To make up for this,
Increasing the amount of light emitted from the backlight leads to an increase in power consumption. In addition, when the partition and the electrode structure are miniaturized and formed, the generation rate of defects is inevitably increased, and it is difficult to achieve both the productivity and the aperture ratio. For example, in the structure of the plasma cell shown in FIG. 8, the discharge channels 5 are formed with an arrangement pitch P of 1000 μm. The width dimension of the partition 7 is 20
0 μm, and the width of the anode A and the width of the cathode K are 2
00 μm. Therefore, the aperture ratio of the illustrated panel is 1
− (200 + 200 + 200) /1000=0.4,
It becomes 40%. Arrangement pitch P from 1000 μm to 700
When the size is reduced to μm, the aperture ratio becomes 1− (200 + 200 +
200) /700=0.14, which is reduced to 14%. In this case, the aperture ratio can be increased to some extent by reducing the electrode width of the anode A and the cathode K. However, when the electrode width is reduced, disconnection or the like is caused to cause a decrease in yield, and productivity is significantly reduced. An object of the present invention is to solve such problems of the conventional technology.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the following measures have been taken. That is, the first plasma addressed display device according to the present invention includes a flat panel, a scanning circuit, and a signal circuit as a basic configuration. The flat panel has a stacked structure in which a plasma cell having scanning electrodes arranged in rows and a display cell having signal electrodes arranged in columns are stacked on each other. The scanning circuit scans the display panel by sequentially applying a selection pulse to the scanning electrodes. The signal circuit supplies image data to the signal electrode in synchronization with the scanning, and writes the image data for each scanning line. The plasma cell has row-shaped discharge channels isolated from each other. Each discharge channel contains a gas that can be discharged, and is assigned a plurality of scan electrodes. As a characteristic feature, the scanning circuit sequentially applies a selection pulse to a plurality of scan electrodes assigned to one discharge channel to generate a discharge, and forms a plurality of scan lines in one discharge channel. . Preferably, the signal circuit writes image data of the same polarity to a plurality of scan lines belonging to one discharge channel, and writes image data of the opposite polarity to scan lines belonging to an adjacent discharge channel. , The display cell is driven by AC. In one embodiment, the discharge channel includes a pair of partition walls forming a row-like space, a scan electrode disposed below each partition wall, and a central scan disposed between the scan electrodes on both sides in the space. And electrodes. One scanning line is defined between the scanning electrode disposed below one partition and the central scanning electrode, and the other scanning line is disposed between the scanning electrode disposed below the other partition and the central scanning electrode. It is defined between the center scan electrode and the center scan electrode. In this case, the scanning circuit applies a selection pulse to the central scanning electrode to generate a discharge in substantially the entire discharge channel, and then applies a selection pulse to the scanning electrode arranged below the other partition to apply the selection pulse. By generating a discharge in almost half of the discharge channel, two scan lines are formed in one discharge channel together with the other half.

[0009] The second plasma addressed display device according to the present invention comprises, as a basic configuration, a flat panel, a scanning circuit, and a signal circuit. The flat panel has a stacked structure in which a plasma cell having scanning electrodes arranged in rows and a display cell having signal electrodes arranged in columns are stacked on each other. The scanning circuit scans the display panel by sequentially applying a selection pulse to the scanning electrodes. The signal circuit supplies image data to the signal electrode in synchronization with the scanning, and writes the image data for each scanning line. In such a configuration, the plasma cells are formed with row-shaped discharge channels isolated from each other. Each discharge channel contains a gas that can be discharged, and is assigned a scan electrode that functions as an anode and a cathode. As a feature,
The scan circuit applies a selection pulse to a scan electrode assigned to one discharge channel to generate a discharge between the anode and the cathode, and uses a transient state after the discharge to scan a plurality of virtual scans. A line is formed in one discharge channel.
The signal circuit supplies image data to the signal electrode in accordance with a transient state after discharging, and writes different image data to a plurality of scanning lines. Preferably, the signal circuit writes image data of the same polarity to a plurality of scanning lines belonging to one discharge channel, and writes image data of the opposite polarity to a plurality of scanning lines belonging to an adjacent discharge channel. Is written to perform AC driving of the display cell. In one embodiment, the discharge channel has a pair of partition walls forming a row-like space,
It consists of scanning electrodes arranged below each partition and functioning as an anode and a cathode, respectively. Two scanning lines included in each discharge channel are space-divided from each other at the middle of the pair of partitions. In another embodiment, the discharge channel includes an additional scan electrode along the middle of the pair of partitions to assist discharge between the anode and the cathode. In another embodiment, the discharge channel includes a pair of partition walls forming a row-like space and a pair of scan electrodes disposed between the partition walls and functioning as an anode and a cathode. The scanning lines are space-divided from each other at the middle of the pair of scanning electrodes.

According to the present invention, in a plasma addressed display device, at least two scanning lines are formed in discharge channels separated from each other to drive display cells. Since the scanning line density is at least twice as large as that of the related art, the definition of pixels can be increased accordingly. From the opposite viewpoint, when the same pixel density as in the related art is sufficient, the arrangement pitch of the discharge channels can be at least doubled.
As a result, it is possible to achieve an improvement in productivity and an aperture ratio.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1A and 1B are schematic views showing a first embodiment of a plasma addressed display device according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration, FIG. 1B is a timing chart showing an operation, and FIG. FIG. The plasma addressed display device according to the present invention basically includes a flat panel, a peripheral scanning circuit and a signal circuit. (A) shows the structure of the flat panel. As shown in the figure, the flat panel has a laminated structure in which a display cell 1 and a plasma cell 2 are overlapped by a common intermediate sheet 3 interposed therebetween. The plasma cell 2 is composed of a lower glass substrate 4 joined to the intermediate sheet 3, and a dischargeable gas (for example, xenon gas or neon gas) is sealed in the space between the two. On the inner surface of the lower glass substrate 4, a scanning electrode X in a stripe shape is formed. The scan electrodes X are alternately different in thickness. In the figure, the thicker scan electrodes are denoted by X0, X2,
X4,..., And the narrower scanning electrodes are represented by X1, X3,.
It is represented by ... Wide scanning electrodes X0, X2, X4 ...
A partition wall 7 is formed immediately above the partition wall, and a space filled with a dischargeable gas is divided to form a discharge channel 5. The partition walls 7 can be printed and fired by a screen printing method, and the tops thereof are in contact with one surface of the intermediate sheet 3. As shown in FIG.
Are separated from each other. With such a configuration, just two scan electrodes X are assigned to one discharge channel 5. For example, scan electrodes X1 and X2 are assigned to a certain discharge channel 5, and scan electrodes X3 and X4 are assigned to a discharge channel 5 adjacent thereto.

On the other hand, the display cell 1 is constituted by using a transparent upper glass substrate 8. The glass substrate 8 is adhered to the other surface of the intermediate sheet 3 with a sealing material or the like via a predetermined gap.
Is enclosed. A signal electrode Y is formed on the inner surface of the upper glass substrate 8. Matrix pixels are formed at the intersections of the signal electrodes Y and the discharge channels 5.
A color filter 13 is also provided on the inner surface of the glass substrate 8, and for example, three primary colors of RGB are assigned to each pixel.
The flat panel having such a configuration is of a transmission type, for example, in which the plasma cell 2 is located on the incident side and the display cell 1 is located on the emitting side. The backlight 12 is connected to the plasma cell 2.
Attached to the side.

Next, as shown in (B), the peripheral scanning circuit sequentially applies a selection pulse to the scanning electrodes X0, X1, X2, X3, X4,... Each selection pulse has a negative polarity with respect to the ground potential. In the illustrated example, at the 0th timing (represented by a circled number, the same applies hereinafter),
A selection pulse is applied to the scanning electrode X0, a selection pulse is applied to the scanning electrode X1 at the first timing, a selection pulse is applied to the scanning electrode X2 at the second timing, and a selection is applied to the scanning electrode X3 at the third timing. A pulse is applied, and a selection pulse is applied to the scan electrode X4 at the fourth timing. Hereinafter, similarly, a selection pulse is sequentially applied to each scanning electrode X. On the other hand, the peripheral signal circuits supply image data to all the signal electrodes Y in synchronization with the scanning circuit. In the illustrated example, negative image data is supplied at the 0th timing, positive image data is supplied at the 1st and 2nd timings, and negative image data is supplied at the 3rd and 4th timings. Supplying data. Hereinafter, similarly, the image data is applied to the signal electrode Y.

At the 0th timing, when the selection pulse applied to the scan electrode X0 returns to the ground level,
The negative image data supplied to each signal electrode Y is sampled and written to the pixels for one scanning line. However,
Actually, due to the influence of metastable particles and the like included in the plasma, data writing does not occur simultaneously with the selection pulse, and a decay indicated by M appears. Image data is also written in this decay portion. Conversely, by using this decay, the amount of image data written can be adjusted. For example, as shown by an arrow C, when the phase of the selection pulse is moved relatively ahead of the image data, the writing amount or the writing range can be adjusted. Subsequently, at the first timing, when the selection pulse applied to the scan electrode X1 returns to the ground level, the image data of the positive polarity applied to the signal electrode Y is sampled. Similarly, at the second, third, and fourth timings, the image data is sampled.

FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram showing changes in the discharge channel at the 0th, 1st, and 2nd timings with time. First, at the 0th timing, a selection pulse is applied to the scan electrode X0 located immediately below one partition 7. As a result, a plasma discharge is generated between the pair of scanning electrodes at the ground level located on both sides of the scanning electrode X0. In the figure, this plasma discharge is indicated by hatching. Focusing on the discharge channel 5 located at the center, the left half of the discharge channel 5 of interest becomes an anode potential due to the plasma discharge, thereby forming one scanning line. The negative image data is written to the pixels on the scanning line. However, the negative image data is not originally assigned to the central discharge channel 5, but is assigned to the discharge channel located on the left side thereof. Next, at the first timing, a selection pulse is applied to the central scan electrode X1, and a plasma discharge is generated between the scan electrodes X0 and X2 on both sides of the select pulse. As a result, two scanning lines are formed, and image data of positive polarity is written into each of the two scanning lines. That is, the negative image data written to the first scanning line at the 0th timing is immediately rewritten to the positive image data at the 1st timing. This positive polarity image data is the original image data assigned to the first scanning line. Subsequently, at the second timing, a selection pulse is applied to the scan electrode X2, and a plasma discharge occurs between the scan electrode X2 and the scan electrodes located on both sides thereof. Focusing on the central discharge channel 5, a plasma discharge is generated between the scan electrodes X1 and X2, and a second scan line is formed.
The next positive image data is written to this scanning line. That is, the positive polarity image data written to the second scanning line at the first timing is rewritten to the next original positive polarity image data at the second timing. When a selection pulse is applied to the central scan electrode X1, the plasma discharge spreads over the entire discharge channel 5, whereas when a selection pulse is applied to the scan electrodes X0 and X2 located immediately below the partition wall 7, the discharge channel 5 Plasma discharge occurs in almost half of the area. Therefore, the image data written to the first scanning line at the first timing is 2
The image data written to the second scanning line is saved as it is at the second timing, and the original image data is rewritten at the second timing. As is clear from the above description, image data of the same polarity is written to two scanning lines belonging to the same discharge channel. For example, in the central discharge channel 5,
Positive image data is written to each of the left and right scanning lines. Further, image data of the opposite polarity (negative polarity) is written to the scanning line belonging to the adjacent discharge channel. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is of course possible to write image data of opposite polarities to the left and right scanning lines in the same discharge channel. However, in this case, there is a boundary where the polarity shifts from the positive polarity to the negative polarity in the liquid crystal of the display cell, and the transmittance of this portion may become a problem.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view schematically showing a result of writing image data. FIG. 2A corresponds to the present invention,
(B) corresponds to the conventional example shown in FIG. As shown in (A), in the discharge channel 5 to which the scan electrodes X1 and X2 are assigned, the first image data is written in the first scan line, and the second image data is written in the second scan line. It is. The first and second image data have positive polarity. The arrangement pitch of one scanning line is represented by P. Since one discharge channel 5 includes two scanning lines, the arrangement pitch is 2P. Also, the scanning electrodes X3, X
In the adjacent discharge channel 5 to which 4 is assigned, the third image data is written to the first scanning line, and the fourth image data is written to the second scanning line. The third and fourth image data have negative polarity, respectively. Similarly, image data for two scanning lines is written for each discharge channel. By the way, focusing on the discharge channel 5 on which the first and second image data are written, it is preferable that the boundary between the two image data is controlled as much as possible to coincide with the position immediately above the central scanning electrode X1. As described with reference to FIG. 1B, the boundary between the first and second image data can be moved to an optimum position by adjusting the phase relationship between the selection pulse and the image data. Also, by adjusting the discharge current and the pressure of the gas that can be discharged, the boundary between the two data can be moved to an optimum position.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2B, in the conventional example, one scanning line is allocated to one discharge channel 5. This one scanning line includes a pair of an anode A and a cathode K. When the scanning line density is equal to that of the present invention, the arrangement pitch P of the discharge channels 5 is one half that of the present invention. As is clear from comparison between (A) and (B), in the present invention, the number of the partition walls 7 can be halved compared to the conventional case. Further, the number of scanning electrodes can be reduced to half. As a result, it is possible to improve the productivity and the aperture ratio. In addition, since the barrier ribs 7 block the viewing angle, the number of the barrier ribs should be reduced as much as possible. In this regard, in the structure of the present invention shown in (A), the number of the partition walls 7 is halved compared to the conventional structure shown in (B).
The viewing angle of the screen increases.

FIG. 3 is a schematic circuit diagram showing the entire configuration of the plasma addressed display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the present plasma address display device basically includes a panel 0, a signal circuit 21, a scanning circuit 22, and a control circuit 23. The panel 0 has a stacked structure in which plasma cells having scanning electrodes X0 to Xn arranged in rows and display cells having signal electrodes Y0 to Ym arranged in columns are stacked on each other. The scanning circuit 22 sequentially applies a selection pulse to the scanning electrodes X0 to Xn to scan the display cells. The signal circuit 21 supplies image data to the signal electrodes Y0 to Ym in synchronization with the above-described scanning, and writes the image data for each of the scanning lines 51 and 52. Control circuit 2
Numeral 3 controls the synchronization of the signal circuit 21 and the scanning circuit 22. As described above, the plasma cell has the row-shaped discharge channels 5 separated from each other, and each discharge channel 5 contains a dischargeable gas and is assigned a plurality of scan electrodes. . The scanning circuit 22
A selection pulse is sequentially applied to a plurality of scan electrodes (for example, X1 and X2) assigned to one discharge channel 5 to generate a discharge, and at least two scan lines 51 and 52 are discharged by one discharge. Formed in channel 5. Preferably, the signal circuit 21 writes image data of the same polarity to a plurality of scanning lines 51 and 52 belonging to one discharge channel 5,
The AC drive of the display cell is performed by writing the image data of the opposite polarity to the scanning line belonging to the adjacent discharge channel.

In a specific example, the discharge channel 5 is composed of a pair of partitions forming a row-like space, scanning electrodes (for example, X0 and X2) disposed below each partition, and scanning electrodes X0 on both sides in this space. , X2 and a central scanning electrode X1 arranged in the middle of the scanning electrodes. One scanning line 51 is defined between the scanning electrode X0 and the central scanning electrode X1 disposed below one partition, and the other scanning line 52 is disposed below the other partition. Between the scan electrode X2 and the center scan electrode X1. In this case, the scanning circuit 22 includes the central scanning electrode X
1 to generate a discharge in substantially the entire discharge channel 5, and then apply a selection pulse to the scan electrode X2 disposed under the other partition to discharge substantially half of the discharge channel 5. This causes the two scanning lines 51 and 52 to be combined with the other half to form one discharge channel 5.
Formed.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a second embodiment of the plasma addressed display device according to the present invention, in which three scanning lines are assigned to one discharge channel. As shown at the top of the figure, one scan channel 5 is provided with three scan electrodes X1, X2 and X3, and the next discharge channel 5 is also provided with three scan electrodes X4, X5 and X6. Is arranged. At the first timing, a selection pulse is applied to X1. As a result, plasma discharge is generated in the first discharge channel 5, and two scanning lines 51 and 52 are formed at the same time. At the second timing, a selection pulse is applied to X2, and a plasma discharge is locally generated between the adjacent scan electrodes X1 and X3. As a result, 2
The scanning lines 52 and 53 are formed. Therefore, the image data written to the scanning line 52 at the first timing is immediately rewritten at the second timing, but the image data written to the scanning line 51 is preserved as original data. Next, at the third timing, a selection pulse is applied to the scan electrode X3, and a plasma discharge occurs between the adjacent scan electrodes X2 and X4. 1
Focusing on the first discharge channel 5, the third scan line 53 is formed again by this plasma discharge. Therefore, the image data written to the scanning line 53 at the second timing is immediately rewritten at the third timing, but the image data written to the scanning line 52 is stored as it is as the original data. become. As described above, three scanning lines 51, 52, and 53 are sequentially formed in one discharge channel 5, and corresponding image data is written.

FIG. 5 is a schematic partial sectional view showing a third embodiment of the plasma addressed display device according to the present invention. In this example, four scan electrodes are assigned to one discharge channel 5, and by applying the driving method according to the present invention, one scan channel 5 has four scan lines. It becomes possible to write image data.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic views showing a fourth embodiment of the plasma addressed display device according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 9A is a sectional view showing the configuration, and FIG. 9B is a timing chart showing the operation. . This plasma address display device basically includes a flat panel, a peripheral scanning circuit, and a signal circuit. (A) shows the structure of the flat panel. As shown in the figure, the flat panel has a laminated structure in which a display cell 1 and a plasma cell 2 are overlapped by a common intermediate sheet 3 interposed therebetween. The plasma cell 2 is composed of a lower glass substrate 4 bonded to an intermediate sheet 3, and a dischargeable gas is sealed between the two. Scanning electrodes X0, X2, X4,... Are formed on the inner surface of the lower glass substrate 4. A partition wall 7 is formed immediately above each of the scan electrodes X0, X2, X4,..., And forms a discharge channel 5 by dividing a space filled with a dischargeable gas. For the sake of explanation, when the respective discharge channels are distinguished, they are represented as 5a, 5b, 5c. The partition wall 7 is formed by, for example, a screen printing method, and the top portion is in contact with the lower surface side of the intermediate sheet 3. As shown in the figure, adjacent discharge channels 5a, 5b, 5c,... Are separated from each other by partition walls 7.

On the other hand, the display cell 1 is constituted by using a transparent upper glass substrate 8. The glass substrate 8 is adhered to the upper surface of the intermediate sheet 3 made of thin glass or the like by a sealing material or the like via a predetermined gap, and a liquid crystal 9 is sealed in the gap. A signal electrode Y is formed on the inner surface of the upper glass substrate 8. Matrix pixels are formed at the intersections of the signal electrodes Y and the discharge channels 5. The color filter 13 is provided on the inner surface of the glass substrate 8.
Are assigned to each pixel, for example, three primary colors of RGB. The flat panel having such a configuration is a transmission type,
For example, the plasma cell 2 is located on the incident side, and the display cell 1 is located on the emitting side. Further, a backlight 12 is attached to the plasma cell 2 side.

As shown in (B), the peripheral scanning circuit sequentially applies a selection pulse to the scanning electrodes X0, X2, X4,. Each selection pulse has a negative polarity with respect to a ground potential (anode potential). In the illustrated example, at the 0th timing, a selection pulse is applied to the scan electrode X0 to generate a plasma discharge in the discharge channel 5a. In this case, the scan electrode X0 to which the negative selection pulse is applied
Function as a cathode, and the scanning electrodes of the ground potential located on both sides thereof function as anodes. Plasma discharge is generated between the pair of anode / cathode. Subsequently, a selection pulse is applied to the scan electrode X2 at the second timing to generate a plasma discharge in the discharge channels 5b and 5c. In this case, the scan electrode X2 to which the selection pulse is applied functions as a cathode, and the scan electrode X0 and the other scan electrodes X4 that have returned to the ground potential function as anodes. Similarly, a selection pulse is applied to the scan electrode X4 at the fourth timing,
A plasma discharge is generated in the discharge channels 5c and 5d.
Hereinafter, similarly, a selection pulse is sequentially applied to each scanning electrode X. On the other hand, the peripheral signal circuits supply image data to all the signal electrodes Y in synchronization with the scanning circuit. In the illustrated example, the negative image data D0 is supplied at the 0th timing, and then the negative image data D1 is supplied at the 1st timing. These negative image data D0 and D1 are written to two scanning lines formed in the discharge channel 5a. Subsequently, at the second timing, the image data D2 of the positive polarity is supplied, and at the third timing, the image data D3 is switched to the image data D3 of the positive polarity.
These image data D2 and D3 are respectively written on two scanning lines formed in the discharge channel 5b. Similarly, at the fourth timing, the negative polarity image data D
4 is supplied and further switched to another negative polarity image data D5 at the fifth timing. These image data D4 and D5 are written to two scanning lines formed in the discharge channel 5c.

According to the present invention, the peripheral scanning circuit applies a selection pulse to the scanning electrode X assigned to one discharge channel 5 to generate a discharge between the anode and the cathode, and a transient after the discharge. Utilizing the state, two scanning lines are formed in one discharge channel 5. The signal circuit supplies image data D to the signal electrode Y in accordance with the transient state after the discharge, and separate image data (D0, D1), (D
2, D3), (D4, D5)... For example, at the 0th timing, when the selection pulse applied to the scanning electrode X0 returns to the ground level, the negative image data D0 supplied to the signal electrode Y is written,
The data is written to both pixels of the two scanning lines virtually formed in the discharge channel 5a. Subsequently, at the first timing, the image data supplied to the signal electrode Y changes from D0 to D1.
Has been switched to. At this point, the first scanning line formed in the discharge channel 5a is in the off state, while the second scanning line is in the on state. Therefore, image data D1 is newly written on the second scanning line, and D0
Is erased. After that, before the image data is switched from D1 to D2, the second scanning line changes from the on state to the off state, so that the written image data D1 is held as it is. Next, at the second timing, the scanning electrode X
When the selection pulse applied to 2 returns to the ground level, the positive image data D2 supplied to the signal electrode Y is written to the entire scanning line formed in the discharge channel 5b. Subsequently, at the third timing, the image data D2 becomes D
Switch to 3. At this point, the first scanning line in the portion where the image data D2 has been written changes from the on state to the off state, while the second scanning line maintains the on state. Therefore, new image data D3 is written to the second scanning line, and D2 is erased. As described above, the signal circuit according to the present embodiment provides image data D0 and D1 having the same polarity to two scanning lines belonging to one discharge channel 5a.
, And image data D2 and D3 of opposite polarities are written to two scanning lines belonging to the adjacent discharge channel 5b, and the display cell 1 is driven by AC. In this embodiment,
The discharge channel 5 includes a pair of partition walls 7 forming a row-like space.
And scanning electrodes X0, X2, X4,... Arranged below the partition walls 7 and functioning as anodes and cathodes, respectively. The two scanning lines included in each discharge channel 5 are:
Spaces are divided from each other with the middle of the pair of partition walls 7 as a boundary. In some cases, each discharge channel 5 may be provided with an additional scan electrode along the middle between the pair of partition walls 7 to assist discharge between the anode and the cathode.

Referring to FIG. 10, the operation of the plasma addressed display device shown in FIG. 9 will be described in detail. 1 in FIG.
At the top, one discharge channel 5b is schematically shown. The discharge channel 5b is space-divided into two scanning lines 52 and 53 in the front and rear at substantially the middle of the pair of partition walls 7. Hereinafter, changes in the internal state of the discharge channel 5b will be described with time.
At the timing (see FIG. 9B), the scan electrode X2
Falls at this point, and the plasma discharge in the discharge channel 5b ends at this point. At this time, since a large number of charged particles generated by the plasma discharge remain inside the discharge channel 5b, the conductivity of the internal space of the discharge channel 5b is high, and the scanning lines 52, which function as virtual switches, 53 are both on.
Subsequently, as the timing advances from timing to timing, the metastable particles in the discharge channel 5b gradually disappear, so that the conductivity of the internal space decreases. In this case, since the spatial distribution of the metastable particles in the discharge channel 5b is biased, the conductivity decreases greatly as the distance from the scanning electrode X2 to which the selection pulse is applied. Just at the timing, the conductivity of one of the scanning lines 52 is significantly reduced, so that one of the scanning lines 52 is equivalently turned off. At this point, the image data D2 is sampled and held by the pixels on the scanning line 52 side. At just the timing, the image data is switched from D2 to D3. At the timing, the conductivity of the other scan line 53 is still high and the equivalent switch is still on. Therefore, the switched image data D3 is written to the scanning line 53. Some time after the timing, the conductivity of the other scanning line 53 also decreases, so that the equivalent switch is turned off. At this point, the image data D3 is sampled and held by the pixels on the scanning line 53 side.

FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view showing a fifth embodiment of the plasma addressed display device according to the present invention.
Basically, it is the same as the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 9A, and corresponding parts are denoted by corresponding reference numerals to facilitate understanding. The difference is that in each discharge channel 5, a pair of scanning electrodes functioning as an anode A and a cathode K are formed between a pair of partition walls 7 forming a row-like space. In the fourth embodiment, each scanning electrode is arranged below the partition 7 and scans the discharge channel 5 while alternately switching between the anode A and the cathode K. On the other hand, in this embodiment, each discharge channel 5
A scanning electrode and an anode A which function as a cathode K in advance
Are provided in a state where their roles are fixed. In this embodiment, each discharge channel 5
Are spatially divided from each other at the middle of a pair of scanning electrodes functioning as an anode and a cathode.

FIG. 12 is a schematic circuit diagram showing the overall configuration of a plasma addressed display according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the present plasma address display device basically includes a panel 0, a signal circuit 21, a scanning circuit 22, and a control circuit 23. The panel 0 has a stacked structure in which plasma cells having discharge channels 5 arranged in rows and display cells having signal electrodes Y0 to Ym arranged in columns are stacked on each other. Each discharge channel 5 is formed with a pair of anode A and cathode K. Each of the anodes A0 to An is grounded, while each of the cathodes K0 to Kn is connected to the scanning circuit 22. The scanning circuit 22 scans the display cells by sequentially applying selection pulses to the cathodes K0 to Kn. The signal circuit 21 supplies image data to the signal electrodes Y0 to Ym in synchronization with the above-described scanning, and the two scanning lines 5 formed in each discharge channel 5
The image data is written to 1, 52. The control circuit 23 controls the synchronization of the signal circuit 21 and the scanning circuit 22. As described above, the plasma cell has the row-shaped discharge channels 5 isolated from each other. Each discharge channel 5 contains a dischargeable gas and has two scanning lines 5.
1, 52 are formed in a space-division manner. Scanning circuit 22
Is the cathode K assigned to one discharge channel 5
, A discharge is generated between the anode A and the cathode K, and two scanning lines 51 and 52 are formed in one discharge channel 5 using a transient state after the discharge. The signal circuit 21 adjusts the signal electrode Y0 according to the transient state after the discharge.
To Ym, the two scanning lines 51, 5
The different image data is written to the pixel 11 on the second.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In a plasma addressed display device, at least two scanning lines are provided in one discharge channel. In order to form at least two scan lines in one discharge channel, for example, two scan electrodes are provided in one discharge channel.
With such a configuration, the number of the scanning electrodes and the number of the partition walls are halved as compared with the related art, so that the productivity is remarkably improved. In addition, the aperture ratio is improved and the luminance as a display is increased, and the power consumption of the backlight can be reduced accordingly. In addition, since the number of partitions is reduced by half, the restriction on the viewing angle in the vertical direction of the screen is eased, and the viewing angle can be increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a first embodiment of a plasma addressed display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram comparing the structure of the plasma addressed display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention with the structure of a conventional plasma addressed display device.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing an overall configuration of the plasma addressed display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a second embodiment of the plasma addressed display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a third embodiment of the plasma addressed display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an example of a conventional plasma addressed display device.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the conventional example shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an electrode structure of a conventional plasma addressed display device.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the plasma addressed display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of a fourth embodiment of the plasma addressed display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view showing a fifth embodiment of the plasma addressed display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram showing an overall configuration of a plasma addressed display device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

0 ... panel, 1 ... display cell, 2 ... plasma cell, 3 ... intermediate sheet, 4 ... glass substrate, 5 ...
..Discharge channels, 7 partition walls, 8 glass substrates, 9 liquid crystals, 11 pixels, 12 backlights, 13 color filters, 21 signal circuits , 22 ... scanning circuit, 23 ... control circuit, 51
..Scanning lines, 52 scanning lines, X scanning electrodes, Y
... Signal electrodes

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A flat panel in which a plasma cell having scanning electrodes arranged in rows and a display cell having signal electrodes arranged in columns are superimposed on each other, and a selection pulse is sequentially applied to the scanning electrodes to form a display cell. A plasma address display device comprising: a scanning circuit that performs scanning; and a signal circuit that supplies image data to the signal electrodes in synchronization with the scanning and writes image data for each scanning line. A row-shaped discharge channel isolated from each other is formed, each discharge channel contains a dischargeable gas, and a plurality of scan electrodes are assigned to the discharge channel. A discharge pulse is generated by sequentially applying a selection pulse to a plurality of scan electrodes assigned to a channel to form a plurality of scan lines in one discharge channel. Maseru display device. 2. The signal circuit writes image data of the same polarity to a plurality of scanning lines belonging to one discharge channel, and writes image data of the opposite polarity to scanning lines belonging to an adjacent discharge channel. 2. The plasma addressed display device according to claim 1, wherein the display cell is AC-driven by writing. 3. The discharge channel includes a pair of partition walls forming a row-like space, a scan electrode disposed below each partition wall, and a central scan disposed between the scan electrodes on both sides in the space. One scanning line is defined between the scanning electrode disposed below one partition and the central scanning electrode, and the other scanning line is disposed below the other partition. 2. The plasma addressed display device according to claim 1, wherein said plasma address display device is defined between said scanning electrode and said central scanning electrode. 4. The scanning circuit applies a selection pulse to a central scanning electrode to generate a discharge in substantially the entire discharge channel, and then applies a selection pulse to a scanning electrode disposed below the other partition. 4. The plasma addressed display device according to claim 3, wherein a discharge is generated in substantially half of said discharge channel to form two scanning lines in one discharge channel together with the other half. . 5. A flat panel in which a plasma cell having scanning electrodes arranged in rows and a display cell having signal electrodes arranged in columns are overlapped with each other, and a selection pulse is sequentially applied to the scanning electrodes to form a display cell. A plasma address display device comprising: a scanning circuit that performs scanning; and a signal circuit that supplies image data to the signal electrodes in synchronization with the scanning and writes image data for each scanning line. A row of discharge channels isolated from each other are formed, each discharge channel contains a dischargeable gas, and a scan electrode functioning as an anode and a cathode is assigned to the discharge channel. A selection pulse is applied to the scan electrode assigned to one discharge channel to generate a discharge between the anode and the cathode, and a transient state after the discharge is used. A plurality of scanning lines are formed in one discharge channel, and the signal circuit supplies image data to the signal electrode in accordance with a transient state after discharging, and writes different image data to the plurality of scanning lines. A plasma addressed display device characterized by the above-mentioned. 6. The signal circuit writes image data of the same polarity to a plurality of scanning lines belonging to one discharge channel, and writes the image data of the opposite polarity to a plurality of scanning lines belonging to an adjacent discharge channel. 6. The plasma addressed display device according to claim 5, wherein AC driving of the display cell is performed by writing image data. 7. The discharge channel includes a pair of partition walls forming a row-like space, and a scan electrode disposed below each partition wall and functioning as an anode and a cathode, respectively. A plurality of discharge channels included in each discharge channel are provided. 6. The plasma addressed display device according to claim 5, wherein the scanning lines are space-divided from each other at a boundary between the pair of partition walls. 8. The discharge channel according to claim 7, further comprising an additional scan electrode along the middle of the pair of partition walls to assist discharge between the anode and the cathode.
The plasma address display device according to the above. 9. The discharge channel includes a pair of partition walls forming a row-like space, and a pair of scan electrodes disposed between the partition walls and functioning as an anode and a cathode. 6. The plasma addressed display device according to claim 5, wherein the scanning lines are spatially divided from each other at a middle of the pair of partition walls.