JPS62259330A - Gas discharge panel and its driving method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To increase the brightness of a plane gas discharge panel, with the arrangement of parts not to obstruct the discharge light by furnishing a selection electrode under the maintenance electrodes, and forming a display cell at the crossing part of the selection electrode and a pair of the maintenance electrodes which are situated on the upper layer of the selection electrode and adjacent to it. CONSTITUTION:A selection electrode 5 is longitudinally, provided on a lower base plate 1, and over it plural pairs of maintenance electrodes 2 and 3, which consist of two pieces as a pair, are transversely arranged through a dielectric layer 6. And further its upperside is covered by a surface layer and an upper base plate is arranged spacing a gas space (b), thus a plane gas discharge panel is constituted. And a display cell (d) is formed by an expanded part (u) of the selection electrode 5 and display electrode parts (x) and (y) of the maintenance electrode pair 2 and 3. Driving is carried out in such a way that in the case of addressing the discharge between the electrode parts (u) and (x) is utilized, and in the case of display alternative discharge between the electrode parts (u) and (x) or (y) is utilized so as to give one dot display. Thus, its luminous efficiency is increased and a display having very high brightness can be obtained.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] The present invention provides a gas discharge panel in which a selection electrode is placed in a position where it does not interfere with the display, in order to display at high brightness a surface discharge panel in which a display cell and a selection cell are separated. A driving method is described in which a display discharge is performed in a plurality of discharge cells in which the selection electrode and the sustain electrode are alternately used to display a high-intensity display.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a new electrode structure for a surface discharge type gas discharge panel and a method for driving the same, and more particularly to a new type of AC type gas discharge display that can be driven at high brightness as a flat display.

゛ [Prior Art] As a prior art related to the present invention, there is a surface discharge type gas discharge panel with a structure in which a display cell and a selection cell are separated, which was disclosed in a patent application filed in 1973.
It has been proposed in No. 5-154001 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 57-78751). The present invention relates to an improvement in increasing the brightness of such a surface discharge panel and a method for driving the same.

An example of a conventional panel structure and driving method will be described below.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a substrate on the electrode support side of a conventional surface discharge type panel, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a main part of the same panel. In these figures, a set of two X's are placed on the lower glass substrate 1 which functions as an electrode support substrate.

A plurality of Y sustain electrodes 2 and 3 are arranged in parallel in the lateral direction,
A dielectric layer 6 made of low melting point glass and a partition wall 4 made of dielectric extending in the vertical direction are provided thereon, and a selection electrode 5 is provided thereon.

Above the upper selection electrode there is a surface layer 9 made of magnesium oxide (MgO) several thousand angstroms thick, and above it a gas space surrounded by a transparent upper substrate 7 for a cover.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a conventional drive waveform that is supplied to the panel by a drive element in order to perform display on the surface discharge type gas discharge panel as described above. In the conventional display operation, the sustain waveform Ox shown in FIG. 6 is applied to the X sustain electrode, the sustain waveform uy is applied to the Y sustain electrode, and the pulse voltage Vs of the selection waveform Uu is applied from the selection electrode 5 to the sustain electrode of one of the sustain electrodes. Voltage Vss of waveform Ox
When applied at the same time and applied as a pulse higher than the ignition voltage to the selected discharge cell S, a discharge occurs in the cell, and this is caused to cause a display discharge in the display discharge cell d at the sustain voltage (amplitude Vs5) between the sustain electrode pair. Ta.

In this sustaining drive, the gas discharge that provides the luminance occurs once near the rising edge of the sustaining pulse, as seen in the optical output in FIG. 6.

This is a characteristic of AC type gas discharge panels.

This average display brightness can be increased by increasing the discharge drive voltage to increase the discharge intensity, or by increasing the number of discharges if the intensity remains the same.

The method of measuring the increase in brightness by increasing the first voltage has a restriction that the voltage can only be changed within a narrow range due to the use of memory in the gas discharge panel, and therefore this method cannot be used.

Next, the speed of discharge is mainly determined by the type of gas in the space, and gases such as Ne-Xe and He-Ne are selected depending on the purpose because they are high brightness gases and have a fast reaction rate. However, when it comes to bright and fast gas, the type is determined,
The driving frequency of the sustaining voltage is almost fixed, and it was not possible to increase it unnecessarily. In this way, conventionally there have been few methods for increasing the display brightness of a panel.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In the conventional driving method, a sustain voltage is applied only to the display discharge cell d between the pair of sustain electrodes for display, and the selection electrode is used exclusively for addressing (selecting) the display discharge cell.

Discharge occurs once near the rising edge of the sustaining pulse, and in order to increase the brightness that appeals to the eye, the only way to increase the number of flashes is to increase the frequency of the sustaining voltage as much as possible, even if the same discharge gas is used. However, the driving frequency of the sustain voltage is almost fixed depending on the panel characteristics, and cannot be increased unnecessarily.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a new electrode structure and a method for driving the same in order to improve the brightness in a surface discharge type gas discharge panel.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, in the panel structure of the present invention, as shown in FIG. do.

Next, a discharge that occurs when a display cell is selected and a display discharge that is repeated at a sustaining voltage are performed at the same location.

Next, as a display discharge, we generated multiple discharge spots between the selection electrode and the two sustain electrodes, set a phase difference between each discharge, and prevented them from overlapping to generate a discharge with a repeated frequency. .

That is, by changing the application method and applied waveform of the sustaining voltage as shown in the drive waveform example in Figure 2, multiple discharges are generated alternately between both the fiber special electrode pair and the selection electrode, and these discharges are divided into one unit. The cell is now displayed.

It has been found that in this way the two discharges can survive to provide one display picture element without interference.

[Effect]

Discharge is generated alternately between the sustain electrode pair X and Y and the selection electrode U shown in FIG. 1 to perform the display operation of the display cell, but see also FIG. 2, an example of the drive waveform of the present invention. do,
During period 1, Vx= Vs+t VV =0+
When Vu=Vs3, due to the polarity of the discharge, positive charges are accumulated on the surface of the insulator layer on the X electrode, and negative charges are accumulated on both the Y and U electrodes.

Next, in period 2, when Vx=Vy=0 and Vu=-Vst, the electric field is reversed between the X electrode and the U electrode, so a discharge occurs in the opposite direction to the above discharge.

After that, the discharge between the U selection electrode and the X sustain electrode in the forward direction and the reverse direction is repeated, and the discharge between the U selection electrode and the X sustain electrode is also displayed in the forward direction and the reverse direction. Applied period 2. Compared to the conventional methods such as 4 and 4, the new selection electrode drive pulse voltage -Vs2 causes discharge in the opposite direction accompanied by light emission, which can increase the display brightness.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the gas discharge panel of the present invention and its driving method will be described below. Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the panel of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a driving waveform diagram of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a cutaway perspective view of the main part of the panel. This will be explained in detail using

First, in FIG. 3 and FIG. 1, a selection electrode 5 is vertically provided on a lower glass substrate 1 functioning as an electrode support substrate, and a dielectric layer 6 made of low melting point glass is provided thereon.
A plurality of pairs of sustain electrodes 2.3 are arranged in a horizontal direction through the electrodes, and a low melting point glass layer and a surface layer 9 are formed on the sustain electrode pairs 2.3.
There is a transparent upper substrate above which forms a gas space with a discharge gas space (not shown) separated therefrom. One feature of the present invention is that the selection electrode 5 is formed in the lowest layer, and the selection electrode corresponding to the discharge cell has an enlarged portion U as shown in the figure, which functions as a cell-constituting electrode portion. ing. Further, display electrode portions X protrude close to discharge cell corresponding portions of the sustain electrode pair located on the upper layer of the selection electrode portion U.

y is formed. In this way, two discharge sections for the two display electrode sections x and y are constructed with the selection electrode section U in common, and one display cell d is constructed by these two discharge sections. Thus, during addressing, the discharge between the selection electrode section U and one of the display electrode sections X is utilized, and during display, discharge is also generated alternately between the selection electrode section U and both display electrode sections x and y. It is possible to provide a one-dot display, which is very convenient because the selection electrode section U is located below the display electrode section and does not interfere with the discharge light.

Next, the method for driving the panel described above will be explained in more detail with reference to the panel operation state diagram shown in FIG. 1 and the driving waveform of the present invention shown in FIG.

Vx, Vy, and Vu indicate the voltage waveforms applied to the corresponding electrodes. In this case, it is assumed that the target display cell is a cell that has already been addressed and lit.

In period 1, Vx=-Vsl, Vy=0. When Vu=Vs3 holds, as shown in FIG. 1, due to the polarity of the discharge, positive charges are accumulated in the dielectric layer on the X electrode, and negative charges are accumulated on both the Y and U electrodes.

Next, in period 2, νx=Vy=o, Vu=-Vs.

Therefore, between the X electrode biased by the wall charge due to the discharge and the U electrode to which the voltage -Vsz is applied,
Since the direction of the electric field is opposite to that of the previous discharge, a discharge occurs in the opposite direction.

As a result, the surface of the dielectric layer on the X and Y electrodes has a negative
Positive charges are accumulated on each U electrode.

Next, in period 3, a discharge electric field is applied to the Y sustain electrode and the tJm selection electrode, and Vx=0. Vy=-Vs, Vu=Vs.

Therefore, between the Y electrode and the binding electrode, positive charges are accumulated on the surface of the dielectric layer on the Y electrode, and negative charges are accumulated on both the X and U electrodes.

Next, in period 4, a discharge electric field is applied between the Y sustain electrode and the U selection electrode, and V x =0 + V y ;0 + V u
= Vs t and the Y electrode biased by wall charge and U
A discharge occurs between the electrodes, and negative charges are accumulated on the surfaces of the insulator layers on the X sustain electrode and the Y electrode, and positive charges are accumulated on the U electrode.

Thereafter, a discharge between the U selection electrode and the X sustain electrode in the forward direction and the reverse direction, and a discharge between the U selection electrode and the Y sustain electrode in the forward direction and the reverse direction are repeatedly displayed.

In this way, it has been found that the frequency of discharge with less wall charge interference between the U selection electrode and the X and Y sustain electrodes can be increased to approximately twice the frequency.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the panel structure and driving method of the present invention, in a surface discharge type panel in which a display cell and a selection cell are separated, the selection electrode is disposed below the sustain electrode, and the discharge light is emitted. Since it is not obstructed, the discharge light appears bright because the cell can be seen through without any obstructions from the viewer's side.

Furthermore, when looking at each display cell, discharge occurs in a manner that the central selection electrode section U is used as a common source and the electric fields from the display electrode sections x and y on both sides are concentrated in the center. This can prevent the spread of discharge. Being able to drive at low pressure means that it is possible to reduce the energy loss of charged particles due to the enclosed gas, so it is essentially possible to obtain a sharp and bright display with high luminous efficiency. Incidentally, a surface discharge panel with a conventional structure requires a gas pressure of about 6QOTor to suppress the spread of the discharge spot and ensure a sufficient operating margin, but with the electrode structure of the present invention, a gas pressure of about 100Torr is required. It was fully operational.

Furthermore, since the sustain discharge occurs alternately between the two sustain electrodes and the selection electrode, there is little discharge interference (it was possible to operate the drive frequency beyond the limit). By implementing the driving method of the invention, the luminance of light emitted while maintaining the display was approximately twice as bright as that obtained using the conventional method, making it possible to obtain a gas discharge panel display device capable of displaying a much higher luminance. .The present invention is thus extremely effective in practice.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating the panel operation of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a driving waveform of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a panel embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a conventional surface discharge panel. 5 is a sectional view of the panel, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional drive waveform. In Figures 1 and 2, X and Y are the pair of sustain electrodes, U is the selection electrode, Vx and Vy are the sustain voltage waveforms applied to the X and Y sustain electrodes, respectively, and Vu is the sustain voltage applied to the U selection electrode. The voltage waveform and optical output indicate intensity pulses of discharge light emitted according to the applied sustaining voltage. λi electric wave ρ ρ and tokuto g month / l to the field” t7Jji lower Jzame drunkenness 1st
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Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A plurality of selection electrodes arranged on one substrate defining a gas-filled space, and two electrodes arranged adjacent to each other in parallel in pairs in a direction intersecting the selection electrodes with an insulating layer interposed therebetween. In a surface discharge type gas discharge panel consisting of a plurality of sustain electrode pairs, the selection electrode is installed in a lower layer closer to the one substrate than the sustain electrode pair, and each selection electrode and the adjacent sustain electrode in the upper layer A gas discharge panel characterized in that a display cell is configured at an intersection with a pair of electrodes. (2) A plurality of selection electrodes were arranged on one substrate that defined the gas-filled space, and two electrodes were placed adjacent to each other in parallel in pairs in the intersecting direction on top of them with an insulating layer interposed between them. When driving a surface discharge type gas discharge panel consisting of a plurality of pairs of sustain electrodes, a sustain voltage is applied to the selection electrode, and a plurality of discharge cells defined between the pairs of sustain electrodes and the selection electrode are divided into one unit. 1. A method for driving a gas discharge panel, characterized in that a sustaining discharge is generated.