KR100359021B1 - Method of Driving Plasma Display Panel - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of driving a plasma display panel that enables high speed addressing.

The driving method of the plasma display panel of the present invention includes an address period for selecting a discharge cell and a sustain period for displaying the selected discharge cell; The address period includes supplying data pulses to the address electrode lines and applying scan pulses corresponding to the data pulses sequentially in the scanning order to the scan / sustain electrode lines to cause an address discharge; The scan pulse has a pulse width that lasts more than the data pulse width by a predetermined time. The scan pulse is supplied to overlap the scan pulse of the next scan line by the duration, so that an auxiliary discharge equal to the duration of the scan pulse is added to the address discharge, thereby providing an address period. Characterized in that the extension.

According to the present invention, the scan pulse is applied to the scan / sustain electrode lines in a split driving method so that the scan pulses can be superimposed by a predetermined time for high speed addressing.

Description

Driving Method of Plasma Display Panel {Method of Driving Plasma Display Panel}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for driving a plasma display panel, and more particularly, to a method for driving a plasma display panel capable of high speed addressing.

Plasma Display Panel (hereinafter referred to as "PDP") is a display device using visible light generated from a phosphor when ultraviolet light generated by gas discharge excites the phosphor. PDP is thinner and lighter than Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), which has been the mainstay of display means, and has the advantage of being able to realize high definition large screen. PDP is composed of a plurality of discharge cells arranged in a matrix form, one discharge cell constitutes a pixel of the screen.

1 is a perspective view showing a discharge cell structure of a conventional three-electrode AC surface discharge PDP.

Referring to FIG. 1, a discharge cell of a three-electrode alternating surface discharge type PDP is formed on a scan / sustain electrode 12Y and a common sustain electrode 12Z formed on an upper substrate 10, and a lower substrate 18. An address electrode 20X is provided. The upper dielectric layer 14 and the passivation layer 16 are stacked on the upper substrate 10 having the scan / sustain electrode 12Y and the common sustain electrode 12Z side by side. In the upper dielectric layer 14, wall charges generated during plasma discharge are accumulated. The protective layer 16 prevents damage to the upper dielectric layer 14 due to sputtering generated during plasma discharge and increases emission efficiency of secondary electrons. As the protective film 16, magnesium oxide (MgO) is usually used. The lower dielectric layer 22 and the partition wall 24 are formed on the lower substrate 18 on which the address electrode 20X is formed, and the phosphor 26 is coated on the surfaces of the lower dielectric layer 22 and the partition wall 24. The address electrode 20X is formed in the direction crossing the scan / sustain electrode 12Y and the common sustain electrode 12Z. The partition wall 24 is formed in parallel with the address electrode 20X to prevent ultraviolet rays and visible light generated by the discharge from leaking to the adjacent discharge cells. The phosphor 26 is excited by ultraviolet rays generated during plasma discharge to generate visible light of any one of red, green, and blue. Inert gas for gas discharge is injected into the discharge space provided between the upper and lower substrates 10 and 18 and the partition wall 24.

2 is a view showing a driving apparatus of a conventional three-electrode AC surface discharge type PDP.

Referring to FIG. 2, in the conventional three-electrode alternating current surface-discharge type PDP driving apparatus, m × n discharge cells 1 have scan / sustain electrode lines Y1 to Ym and common sustain electrode lines Z1 to Zm. ) And a PDP 30 arranged in a matrix so as to be connected to the address electrode lines X1 to Xn, a scan / sustain driver 32 for driving the scan / sustain electrode lines Y1 to Ym; Common sustain driver 34 for driving common sustain electrode lines Z1 to Zm, odd-numbered address electrode lines X1, X3, ..., Xn-3, Xn-1 and even-numbered address electrode lines First and second address drivers 36A and 36B for dividing and driving (X2, X4, ..., Xn-2, Xn) are provided. The scan / sustain driver 32 sequentially supplies scan pulses and sustain pulses to the scan / sustain electrode lines Y1 to Ym so that the discharge cells 1 are sequentially scanned in line units, and m × n The discharge in each of the four discharge cells 1 is continued. The common sustain driver 34 supplies a sustain pulse to all of the common sustain electrode lines Z1 to Zm. The first and second address drivers 36A and 36B supply image data to the address electrode lines X1 through Xn in synchronization with the scan pulse. The first address driver 36A supplies image data to the odd-numbered address electrode lines X1, X3, ..., Xn-3, Xn-1, and the second address driver 36B supplies the even-numbered address electrode lines ( Image data is supplied to X2, X4, ..., Xn-2, Xn).

The three-electrode AC surface discharge type PDP is driven by dividing one frame into several subfields having different discharge times in order to express gray levels of an image. Each subfield is further divided into a reset period for uniformly discharging the discharge, an address period for selecting the discharge cells, and a sustain period for expressing the gray scale according to the number of discharges. For example, when the image is to be displayed with 256 gray levels, the frame period (16.67 ms) corresponding to 1/60 second is divided into eight subfields SF1 to SF8 as shown in FIG. In addition, each of the eight subfields SF1 to SF8 is divided into an address period and a sustain period. Here, the reset period and the address period of each subfield are the same for each subfield, while the sustain period is 2 ⁿ (n = 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7) in each subfield. Is increased.

4 is a waveform diagram showing a driving waveform supplied to each electrode line of the PDP in each subfield in the conventional method of driving a three-electrode AC surface discharge type PDP.

Referring to FIG. 4, one subfield is divided into a reset period for initializing the entire screen, an address period for writing data while scanning the entire screen in a linear sequential manner, and a sustain period for maintaining the light emission state of the cells in which data is written. Lose. First, during the reset period, the discharge cells are initialized, and discharge is generated between the scan / sustain electrode line (Y) and the common sustain electrode line (Z) by a discharge pulse supplied to the common sustain electrode line (Z) to assist the address discharge. Priming charged particles and wall charges are formed in the cells. In the address period, scan pulses (-Vs) are sequentially applied to each scan / sustain electrode line (Y) of the PDP, and data pulses (Vd) are supplied to each address electrode line (X) in synchronization with the scan pulses. At this time, a common level DC voltage is supplied to the common sustain electrode lines Z, and the DC voltage enables stable address discharge between the address electrode line X and the scan / sustain electrode line Y. . In the sustain period, a sustain pulse is supplied to the scan / sustain electrode line Y and the common sustain electrode line Z to emit light of the selected discharge cells in the address period.

In the conventional AC surface discharge PDP driven as described above, since the amount of space charge in the discharge cells is generated depending on the address discharge of the previous scan line discharge cell, the scan pulse is made to be stable, that is, to prevent miswriting. And a data pulse width of about 2.8 kHz or more is required. For example, if the PDP has a resolution of VGA (Video Graphics Array) level, the PDP has a total of 480 scan lines. In this case, when eight subfields are included in one frame period (16.67 ms), a total of 11.52 ms of address periods required in one frame are required. In contrast, the sustain period is assigned 3.05 ms in consideration of the vertical synchronization signal (Vsync). Therefore, the sustain period becomes too short in the high-resolution PDP in which the number of scan lines increases so that the display itself becomes impossible. In order to solve this problem, high speed addressing is required, and in the related art, a method of dividing and driving a scan line of a panel up and down is used. In the split driving method of the scan line, scan lines are divided up and down in order to shorten an address period in each subfield, and the upper scan line and the lower scan line are separately scanned simultaneously by two different scan drivers. As a result, the address period can be doubled, and the sustain period can be sufficiently secured in each subfield. However, the conventional split driving method has a disadvantage in that the manufacturing cost of the PDP is increased by doubling the number of scan and data driver ICs. In order to solve this problem, a four-electrode AC surface discharge PDP in which an auxiliary electrode 50A is formed on the lower substrate 48 is used as shown in FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 5, the discharge cells of the four-electrode AC surface discharge type PDP are formed on the scan / sustain electrode 42Y and the common sustain electrode 42Z formed on the upper substrate 40, and the lower substrate 48. The address electrode 50X and the auxiliary electrode 50A are provided. The auxiliary electrode 50A is formed in a direction parallel to the address electrode 50X to cause an auxiliary discharge together with the address electrode 50X during address discharge. Except that the auxiliary electrode 50A is formed, other configurations and features are the same as those of the three-electrode AC surface discharge type PDP shown in FIG. That is, the upper dielectric layer 44 and the passivation layer 46 are stacked on the upper substrate 40 having the scan / sustain electrode 42Y and the common sustain electrode 42Z side by side. The wall charges generated during the plasma discharge are accumulated in the upper dielectric layer 44. The passivation layer 46 prevents damage to the upper dielectric layer 44 by sputtering generated during plasma discharge and increases emission efficiency of secondary electrons. As the protective film 46, magnesium oxide (MgO) is usually used. The lower dielectric layer 52 and the partition wall 54 are formed on the lower substrate 48 having the address electrode 50X and the auxiliary electrode 50A side by side, and the phosphor 56 on the surfaces of the lower dielectric layer 52 and the partition wall 54. ) Is applied. The address electrode 50X and the auxiliary electrode 50A are formed in the direction crossing the scan / sustain electrode 42Y and the common sustain electrode 42Z. The partition wall 54 is formed in parallel with the address electrode 50X to prevent ultraviolet rays and visible light generated by the discharge from leaking to the adjacent discharge cells. The phosphor 56 is excited by ultraviolet rays generated during plasma discharge to generate visible light of any one of red, green, and blue. Inert gas for gas discharge is injected into the discharge space provided between the upper and lower substrates 40 and 48 and the partition wall 54.

6 is a plan view of a panel showing the overall electrode arrangement structure of a four-electrode alternating surface discharge type PDP.

Referring to FIG. 6, the scan / sustain electrode lines Y1 to Ym and the common sustain electrode lines Z1 to Zm formed on the upper substrate 40, and the scan / sustain electrode lines Y1 to Ym and the common sustain electrodes are formed on the upper substrate 40. Address electrode lines X1 to Xn and auxiliary electrode lines A1 to An are formed on the lower substrate 48 in a direction orthogonal to the lines Z1 to Zm. The discharge cells 58 are positioned at the intersections of the scan / sustain electrode lines Y1 to Ym, the common sustain electrode lines Z1 to Zm, the address electrode lines X1 to Xn, and the auxiliary electrode lines A1 to An. do.

FIG. 7 is a waveform diagram showing a driving waveform supplied to each electrode line of the PDP for each subfield in the conventional method of driving a four-electrode AC surface discharge PDP.

Referring to FIG. 7, one subfield is a priming and reset period for initializing the full screen, an address period for writing data while scanning the full screen in a linear sequence, and a cell in which data is written, similarly to a three-electrode AC surface discharge PDP. It is divided into sustain periods to maintain their light emission state. First, during the reset period, the discharge cells are initialized and discharge is generated between the scan / sustain electrode line (Y) and the common sustain electrode line (Z) by a discharge pulse supplied to the common sustain electrode line (Z) to assist the address discharge. Priming charged particles and wall charges are formed in the cells. In the address period, scan pulses (-Vs) are sequentially applied to the scan / sustain electrode lines (Y) of the PDP, and data pulses (Vd) are synchronized with the scan pulses (-Vs) to each address electrode line (X). Supplied to. At this time, an address discharge occurs in the discharge cell in which the data pulse Vd and the scan pulse (-Vs) exist at the same time. When the address discharge occurs in the discharge cell, the auxiliary pulse (-Va) is supplied to the auxiliary electrode line A parallel to the address electrode line (X). In the discharge cell supplied with the auxiliary pulse (-Va), an auxiliary discharge occurs between the address electrode line X and the auxiliary electrode line A to generate charged particles in the discharge cell. The charged particles generated by the secondary discharge help the address discharge. As a result, the pulse width Td of the data pulse Vd at the address discharge can be shortened to about 1.2 kW. However, an XGA-class PDP composed of 768 scan / sustain electrode lines Y requires a fast addressing time of about 1 ms. That is, when the scan pulse (-Vs) is input to the scan / sustain electrode line (Y) and the data pulse (Vd) of about 1.2 ms is synchronized to the address electrode line (X) as shown in FIG. Since sufficient discharge current iy flows in the sustain electrode line Y, miswriting and misdischarge are not generated. However, when the scan pulse (-Vs) is input to the scan / sustain electrode line (Y) and the data pulse Vd of about 1 ms is synchronized to the address electrode line (X) as shown in FIG. The discharge current iy flowing in the sustain electrode line Y is stopped before the address discharge ends. That is, since sufficient discharge current iy does not flow in the scan / sustain electrode line Y in the addressing period of 1 mA, miswriting and misdischarge are generated in the discharge cell.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for driving a plasma display panel capable of high speed addressing.

1 is a perspective view showing a discharge cell structure of a conventional three-electrode PDP.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an arrangement of electrode lines and discharge cells of the PDP shown in FIG. 1; FIG.

3 is a diagram illustrating gray levels of one frame in the PDP shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a waveform diagram showing driving waveforms supplied to respective electrode lines of the plasma display panel for each subfield in the PDP driving method shown in FIG. 1;

5 is a perspective view showing a discharge cell structure of a conventional four-electrode PDP.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a panel showing the overall electrode arrangement structure of the PDP shown in FIG. 5; FIG.

FIG. 7 is a waveform diagram showing driving waveforms supplied to respective electrode lines of the plasma display panel for each subfield in the driving method of the PDP shown in FIG. 5; FIG.

8A to 8B are diagrams showing a discharge current flowing in a scan / sustain electrode line during address discharge.

9 is a view showing a divided driving method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

10, 12 and 13 is a waveform diagram according to the divided driving method shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a discharge current flowing in the scan / sustain electrode line according to the embodiment of FIG.

14 is a view showing a divided driving method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

15 to 17 is a waveform diagram according to the divided driving method shown in FIG.

Fig. 18 is a block diagram of a drive device for driving an AC surface discharge PDP.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

1,58: discharge cell 10,40: upper substrate

12Y, 42Y: scan / sustain electrode 12Z, 42Z: common sustain electrode

14,22,44,52: dielectric layer 16,46: protective film

18,48: lower substrate 20X, 50X: address electrode

24,54: bulkhead 26,56: phosphor

30,104: PDP 32,108: scan / sustain drive

34,110: common sustain driver 36A: first address driver

36B: second address driver 50A: auxiliary electrode

100: video signal processor 102: frame memory

106: address driver 112: auxiliary electrode driver

114: waveform generator 116: controller

In order to achieve the above object, a method of driving a plasma display panel of the present invention includes an address period for selecting a discharge cell and a sustain period for displaying the selected discharge cell; The address period includes supplying data pulses to the address electrode lines and applying scan pulses corresponding to the data pulses sequentially in the scanning order to the scan / sustain electrode lines to cause an address discharge; The scan pulse has a pulse width that lasts more than the data pulse width by a predetermined time. The scan pulse is supplied to overlap the scan pulse of the next scan line by the duration, so that an auxiliary discharge equal to the duration of the scan pulse is added to the address discharge, thereby providing an address period. Characterized in that the extension.

Other objects and features of the present invention in addition to the above objects will become apparent from the description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 18.

9 is a diagram illustrating a split driving method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 9, in the first embodiment of the present invention, scan pulses are dividedly supplied in the effective display portion of the PDP during the address period. That is, the scan pulse is supplied to the first scan / sustain electrode line Y1 and then the scan pulse is supplied to the ((m / 2) +1) th scan / sustain electrode line Y (m / 2) +1. . At this time, the scan pulse supplied to the first scan / sustain electrode line and the scan pulse supplied to the ((m / 2) +1) scan / sustain electrode line (Y (m / 2) +1) for a predetermined time (eg For example, 200 ㎱) overlap. Compared with the conventional method, the scan pulse is supplied to the scan / sustain electrode lines Y1 to Ym in a linear order in the conventional address period. At this time, each drive IC (Integrated Circuit) for supplying the scan pulse supplies the scan pulse to 64 scan / sustain electrode lines. Since such a drive IC supplies a scan pulse by one control signal, a plurality of 64 scan / sustain electrode lines connected to one drive IC cannot be a logic "1" at the same time. Therefore, in the conventional line sequential method, the scan pulses cannot be superimposed and supplied to the scan / sustain electrode line Y as in the first embodiment of the present invention.

10, 12, and 13 are waveform diagrams for explaining the method of driving the PDP shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 10, a subfield of a four-electrode PDP according to the present invention includes a priming and reset period for initializing a full screen, an address period for writing data while scanning the full screen in a split driving method, and light emission of cells in which data is written. It is divided into sustain periods to maintain state. First, during the reset period, the discharge cells are initialized and discharge is generated between the scan / sustain electrode line (Y) and the common sustain electrode line (Z) by a discharge pulse supplied to the common sustain electrode line (Z) to assist the address discharge. Priming charged particles and wall charges are formed in the cells. In the address period, the scan pulse (-Vs) is applied to each scan / sustain electrode line (Y) of the PDP in a divided driving method, and the data pulse (Vd) is synchronized with the scan pulse (-Vs) to each address electrode line ( Supplied to X). At this time, an address discharge occurs in the discharge cell in which the data pulse Vd and the scan pulse (-Vs) exist at the same time. After the address discharge occurs in the discharge cell, the auxiliary pulse Va is supplied to the auxiliary electrode line A formed in parallel with the address electrode line X. The auxiliary pulse Va supplied to the auxiliary electrode line A causes auxiliary discharge in the discharge cell in which the address discharge has occurred, thereby generating space charge in the discharge cell. In the sustain period, a sustain pulse is supplied to the scan / sustain electrode line Y and the common sustain electrode line Z to emit light of the selected discharge cells in the address period.

When the address period is described in detail, when the scan pulse (-Vs) is supplied to the first scan / sustain electrode line Y1 and the data pulse Vd is supplied to the address electrode line X in synchronization with the first scan / sustain electrode line Y1, the address is discharged in the discharge cell. Discharge occurs. After the address discharge occurs in the discharge cell, the auxiliary pulse Va supplied to the auxiliary electrode line A and the scan pulse -Vs supplied to the first scan / sustain electrode line Y1 cause an auxiliary discharge. At this time, the auxiliary pulse Va supplied to the auxiliary electrode line A is applied smaller than the voltage and pulse width Td of the data pulse Vd. That is, the auxiliary pulse Va may cause auxiliary discharge even at a voltage lower than the data pulse Vd and a short pulse width Ta by the priming charged particles generated by the address discharge. Further, since the auxiliary pulse Va is applied at a voltage lower than the data pulse Vd and a short pulse width Ta, no discharge occurs in the discharge cell in which the address discharge has not occurred. The sum of the pulse width Td of the data pulse Vd supplied to the address electrode line X and the pulse width Ta of the auxiliary pulse Va supplied to the auxiliary electrode line A is equal to or less than 1 ms. The pulse width Ts of the scan pulse (-Vs) supplied to the first scan / sustain electrode line Y1 is larger than the sum of the auxiliary pulse Va and the data pulse Vd so that the discharge current iy can flow sufficiently. It is supplied large by a predetermined time. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 11, sufficient discharge current iy may flow in the scan / sustain electrode line. Thereafter, the scan / sustain electrode line Y ((m / 2) +1) overlaps with the scan pulse (-Vs) supplied to the first scan / sustain electrode line Y1 for a predetermined time (for example, 200 mu s). The scan pulse is supplied to (m / 2) +1).

12, a subfield of a four-electrode PDP according to the present invention includes a priming and reset period for initializing a full screen, an address period for writing data while scanning the full screen in a split driving method, and light emission of cells in which data is written. It is divided into sustain periods to maintain state. First, during the reset period, the discharge cells are initialized and discharge is generated between the scan / sustain electrode line (Y) and the common sustain electrode line (Z) by a discharge pulse supplied to the common sustain electrode line (Z) to assist the address discharge. Priming charged particles and wall charges are formed in the cells. In the address period, the scan pulse (-Vs) is applied to each scan / sustain electrode line (Y) of the PDP in a divided driving method, and the data pulse (Vd) is synchronized with the scan pulse (-Vs) to each address electrode line ( Supplied to X). At this time, an address discharge occurs in the discharge cell in which the data pulse Vd and the scan pulse (-Vs) exist at the same time. The DC signal Va is supplied to the auxiliary electrode line A formed in parallel with the address electrode line X when the address discharge is generated by the data pulse Vd and the scan pulse -Vs. The DC signal Va supplied to the auxiliary electrode line A causes auxiliary discharge in the discharge cell in which the address discharge has occurred, thereby generating space charge in the discharge cell. In the sustain period, a sustain pulse is supplied to the scan / sustain electrode line Y and the common sustain electrode line Z to emit light of the selected discharge cells in the address period. Comparing this with the driving waveform of FIG. 10, it can be seen that the DC signal Va is supplied to the auxiliary electrode line A. FIG. When the DC signal Va is supplied to the auxiliary electrode line A, the power consumption consumed by the auxiliary electrode (W = C × V ² × f, where C is panel capacitance and V is the voltage of the DC signal Va). , f is frequency). That is, the power consumption of the auxiliary electrode is lowered by supplying the DC signal Va to the auxiliary electrode line A to lower the frequency f. Other operations and effects are the same as the driving waveform of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 13, a subfield of a three-electrode PDP according to the present invention includes a priming and reset period for initializing a full screen, an address period for writing data while scanning the full screen in a division driving method, and light emission of cells in which data is written. It is divided into sustain periods to maintain state. First, during the reset period, the discharge cells are initialized and discharge is generated between the scan / sustain electrode line (Y) and the common sustain electrode line (Z) by a discharge pulse supplied to the common sustain electrode line (Z) to assist the address discharge. Priming charged particles and wall charges are formed in the cells. In the address period, the scan pulse (-Vs) is applied to each scan / sustain electrode line (Y) of the PDP in a divided driving method, and the data pulse (Vd) is synchronized with the scan pulse (-Vs) to each address electrode line ( Supplied to X). At this time, the scan pulse (-Vs) is applied to the scan / sustain electrode line (Y) by overlapping for a predetermined time. In the sustain period, a sustain pulse is supplied to the scan / sustain electrode line Y and the common sustain electrode line Z to emit light of the selected discharge cells in the address period.

14 is a view showing a split driving method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 14, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the (m / 2) scan / sustain electrode line (Y (m / 2)) and the ((m / 2) +1) scan / sustain electrode line ( Y (m / 2) +1), ((m / 2) -1) scan / sustain electrode lines (Y (m / 2) -1), ((m / 2) +2) scan / sustain electrodes Line (Y (m / 2) +2),... The scan pulses are supplied in the order of the first scan / sustain electrode line Y1 and the mth scan / sustain electrode line Ym. At this time, the scan pulses applied to each scan / sustain electrode line Y are supplied overlapping for a predetermined time (for example, 200 mu s).

15 to 17 are waveform diagrams for describing a method of driving the PDP shown in FIG. 14.

Referring to FIG. 15, a subfield of a four-electrode PDP according to the present invention is divided into a priming and reset period, an address period, and a sustain period. First, during the reset period, the discharge cells are initialized and priming charged particles and wall charges are formed in the discharge cells. In the address period, the scan pulse (-Vs) is applied to each scan / sustain electrode line (Y) of the PDP in a divided driving method, and the data pulse (Vd) is synchronized with the scan pulse (-Vs) to each address electrode line ( Supplied to X). The scan pulses supplied to the scan / sustain electrode lines Y are applied so as to overlap the scan pulse applied immediately before for a predetermined time. At this time, the scan pulse is the (m / 2) scan / sustain electrode line (Y (m / 2)) and the ((m / 2) +1) scan / sustain electrode line (Y (m / 2) +1). , ((M / 2) -1) scan / sustain electrode line (Y (m / 2) -1), ((m / 2) +2) scan / sustain electrode line (Y (m / 2) + 2),… The first scan / sustain electrode line Y1 and the mth scan / sustain electrode line Ym are supplied in this order. Other operation characteristics and efficiency are the same as the waveform diagram shown in FIG. In the sustain period, a sustain pulse is supplied to the scan / sustain electrode line Y and the common sustain electrode line Z to emit light of the selected discharge cells in the address period.

Referring to FIG. 16, a subfield of a four-electrode PDP according to the present invention is divided into a priming and reset period, an address period, and a sustain period. First, during the reset period, the discharge cells are initialized and priming charged particles and wall charges are formed in the discharge cells. In the address period, the scan pulse (-Vs) is applied to each scan / sustain electrode line (Y) of the PDP in a divided driving method, and the data pulse (Vd) is synchronized with the scan pulse (-Vs) to each address electrode line ( Supplied to X). The scan pulses supplied to the scan / sustain electrode lines Y are applied so as to overlap the scan pulse applied immediately before for a predetermined time. At this time, the scan pulse is the (m / 2) scan / sustain electrode line (Y (m / 2)), the ((m / 2) +1) scan / sustain electrode line (Y (m / 2) +1) , ((M / 2) -1) scan / sustain electrode line (Y (m / 2) -1), ((m / 2) +2) scan / sustain electrode line (Y (m / 2) + 2),… The first scan / sustain electrode line Y1 and the mth scan / sustain electrode line Ym are supplied in this order. Other operation characteristics and efficiency are the same as the waveform diagram shown in FIG. In the sustain period, a sustain pulse is supplied to the scan / sustain electrode line Y and the common sustain electrode line Z to emit light of the selected discharge cells in the address period.

Referring to FIG. 17, a subfield of a three-electrode PDP according to the present invention is divided into a priming and reset period, an address period, and a sustain period. First, during the reset period, the discharge cells are initialized and priming charged particles and wall charges are formed in the discharge cells. In the address period, the scan pulse (-Vs) is applied to each scan / sustain electrode line (Y) of the PDP in a divided driving method, and the data pulse (Vd) is synchronized with the scan pulse (-Vs) to each address electrode line ( Supplied to X). In the address period, the scan pulse (-Vs) is applied to each scan / sustain electrode line (Y) of the PDP in a divided driving method, and the data pulse (Vd) is supplied to each address electrode line (X) in synchronization with the scan pulse. do. The scan pulses supplied to the scan / sustain electrode lines Y are applied so as to overlap the scan pulse applied immediately before for a predetermined time. At this time, the scan pulse is the (m / 2) scan / sustain electrode line (Y (m / 2)), the ((m / 2) +1) scan / sustain electrode line (Y (m / 2) +1) , ((M / 2) -1) scan / sustain electrode line (Y (m / 2) -1), ((m / 2) +2) scan / sustain electrode line (Y (m / 2) + 2),… The first scan / sustain electrode line Y1 and the mth scan / sustain electrode line Ym are supplied in this order. Other operation characteristics and efficiency are the same as the waveform diagram shown in FIG. In the sustain period, a sustain pulse is supplied to the scan / sustain electrode line Y and the common sustain electrode line Z to emit light of the selected discharge cells in the address period.

Fig. 18 is a block diagram of a driving device for driving a four-electrode alternating surface discharge PDP according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 18, an apparatus for driving a PDP according to the present invention includes a video signal processor 100 for processing video data and a frame memory 102 for storing video data supplied from the video signal processor 100 in prime units. And an address driver 106 for supplying the image data Vd transmitted from the frame memory 102 to the address electrode line X of the PDP 104 in a divided driving manner, and in synchronization with the address driver 106. The scan pulse (-Vs) is sequentially supplied to the scan / sustain electrode line (Y) of the PDP 104 at every horizontal period, and to the scan / sustain driver 108 and the common sustain driver Z which supplies the sustain pulse. A common sustain driver 110 for supplying a sustain pulse and an auxiliary electrode driver 112 for supplying an auxiliary pulse Va to the auxiliary electrode line A are provided. In addition, the driving apparatus of the present invention generates a waveform waveform and supplies the waveform generator 114 to each driver, and the frame memory 102, the scan / sustain driver to control the application time of the pulse supplied to each electrode line A control unit 116 for controlling the 108 and the waveform generating unit 114. In the three-electrode AC surface discharge PDP according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the auxiliary electrode driver 112 is removed. Other components are the same as in the case of the four-electrode alternating surface discharge PDP of the present invention.

As described above, according to the driving method of the plasma display panel according to the present invention, the scan pulse is applied to the scan / sustain electrode line in a divided driving method so that the scan pulse is superimposed by a predetermined time. Accordingly, the pulse width of the scan pulse can be made wider by the time overlapping than the sum of the pulse widths of the data pulse and the auxiliary pulse. Therefore, sufficient discharge current can flow through the scan / sustain electrode lines during address discharge. Furthermore, since a low voltage can be applied to the auxiliary pulse, the contrast ratio is improved.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be limited to the contents described in the detailed description of the specification but should be defined by the claims.

Claims (12)

A matrix of a plurality of scan / sustain electrode lines and common sustain electrode lines formed parallel to each other on a first substrate, and an address electrode line formed in a direction intersecting the scan / sustain electrode lines and the common sustain electrode lines on a second substrate. A method of driving a plasma display panel constituting a plurality of discharge cells by the configuration; An address period for selecting the discharge cells and a sustain period for displaying the selected discharge cells; In the address period, supplying data pulses to the address electrode lines, and sequentially applying scan pulses corresponding to the data pulses in the scanning order to the scan / sustain electrode lines to cause an address discharge; The scan pulse has a pulse width that lasts more than the data pulse width by a predetermined time, and is supplied to overlap the scan pulse of the next scan line by the duration so that an auxiliary discharge equal to the duration of the scan pulse is applied to the address discharge. And a method for extending the address period. The method of claim 1, And the scanning sequence of the scanning / sustaining electrode line is divided into two or more screens and supplies scan pulses sequentially and simultaneously in each divided screen. The method of claim 2, And a scanning sequence of the scanning / sustaining electrode line is divided into an upper half and a lower half and sequentially from the first line in each divided screen. The method of claim 2, The scanning sequence to the scan / sustain electrode line is divided into upper and lower half screens, and is sequentially performed from the last line on the upper half screen and from the first line on the lower half screen. . A plurality of scan / sustain electrode lines and common sustain electrode lines formed parallel to each other on a first substrate, and address electrode lines and auxiliary lines formed in a direction crossing the scan / sustain electrode lines and the common sustain electrode lines on a second substrate; In the driving method of a plasma display panel constituting a plurality of discharge cells by the matrix configuration of the electrode, An address period for selecting the discharge cells and a sustain period for displaying the selected discharge cells; In the address period, supplying data pulses to the address electrode lines, sequentially supplying scan pulses in accordance with the scanning order of the scan / sustain electrode lines, causing an address discharge, and applying auxiliary pulses to the auxiliary electrodes, thereby applying the address. And causing an auxiliary discharge to sustain the discharge for a predetermined time. The method of claim 5, The auxiliary discharge sustains the scan pulse for a predetermined time longer than the data pulse, applies the scan pulses sequentially applied to the scan / sustain electrode lines to overlap each other for a predetermined time, and applies the sustained scan pulse to the auxiliary electrode. A method of driving a plasma display panel comprising applying an auxiliary pulse by a width to generate between the auxiliary electrode and the scan / sustain electrode line. The method of claim 5, The auxiliary discharge sustains the scan pulse for a predetermined time longer than the data pulse, and applies the scan pulses sequentially applied to the scan / sustain electrode lines to overlap each other for a predetermined time, And applying a constant voltage to the auxiliary electrode during the address period so as to be generated between the auxiliary electrode and the scan / sustain electrode line. The method according to claim 6 and 7, And the voltage of the auxiliary pulse is smaller than that of the data pulse. The method of claim 5, And a scanning sequence is divided into two or more screens and the scan pulses are sequentially supplied to each of the divided screens simultaneously. The method of claim 9, And a scanning sequence of the scanning / sustaining electrode line is divided into an upper half and a lower half and sequentially from the first line in each divided screen. The method of claim 9, And a scanning sequence of the scan / sustain electrode line is divided into upper and lower half screens, and the first and second lines are arranged sequentially from the last line on the upper half screen and the first line on the lower half screen. delete