KR100575627B1 - Plasma Display Panel Drived with Radio Frequency Signal and Apparatus for Driving the Same and Method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a high frequency plasma display panel capable of generating sustain discharge as a high frequency signal having a relatively low frequency, a driving apparatus thereof, and a driving method thereof.

The high frequency plasma display panel according to the present invention includes a first high frequency electrode formed at one end of the discharge cell in a longitudinal direction of the discharge cell, and a first high frequency electrode formed on a lower substrate so as to face the first high frequency electrode diagonally. And a second high frequency electrode for generating a high frequency sustain discharge, a data electrode formed on the lower substrate in the longitudinal direction of the discharge cell, and formed on the upper substrate in a direction orthogonal to the data electrode to generate an address discharge together with the data electrode. It has a scan electrode for.

In such a high frequency plasma display panel, electrons are vibrated for a long time in the diagonal direction of the discharge cell between the first high frequency electrode and the second high frequency electrode to generate sustain discharge as a relatively low frequency high frequency signal without increasing the partition height. It becomes possible.

Description

High frequency plasma display panel and its driving device and driving method {Plasma Display Panel Drived with Radio Frequency Signal and Apparatus for Driving the Same and Method etc}             

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a discharge cell structure of a surface discharge plasma display panel of a conventional AC driving method.

2 is a perspective view showing a discharge cell structure of a conventional high frequency plasma display panel.

3 is a view showing a driving device for driving a conventional high frequency plasma display panel.

4 is a waveform diagram showing signal waveforms supplied to respective electrodes of a high frequency plasma display panel by the driving circuit of FIG.

5 is a schematic view showing a discharge mechanism in a conventional high frequency plasma display panel.

6 is a perspective view showing another discharge cell structure of a conventional high frequency plasma display panel.

7 is a perspective view illustrating a discharge cell structure of a high frequency plasma display panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a driving apparatus of a high frequency plasma display panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention for driving the discharge cells shown in FIG.

9 is a waveform diagram illustrating a method of driving an RF PDP according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

10 is a view schematically showing a discharge mechanism of a high frequency plasma display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a driving apparatus of a high frequency plasma display panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention for driving the discharge cells shown in FIG.

12 is a waveform diagram illustrating a method of driving an RF PDP according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a view illustrating an overall electrode line and discharge cell arrangement of a high frequency plasma display panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

20: top plate 22: bottom plate

24,72,110: upper substrate 26: discharge sustaining electrode

28,36,64,104: dielectric layer 30: protective layer

32,60,100: lower substrate 34,62,102: data electrode

38,76,116 discharge area 40,70 phosphor

66,92,114 scan electrode 68,108 partition wall

74,90: high frequency electrode 78,130: electron

80,120: PDP 82,126: high frequency generator

84,122: data pulse generator 86,124: scan pulse generator

106: second high frequency electrode 112: first high frequency electrode

128: inverting circuit 140: scanning line

142: discharge cell

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a high frequency plasma display panel, a driving apparatus and a driving method thereof, and more particularly, to a high frequency plasma display panel and a driving apparatus and a driving method thereof capable of generating sustain discharge as a high frequency signal having a relatively low frequency.

Plasma Display Panel (hereinafter referred to as "PDP") is a display device in which ultraviolet light generated by gas discharge excites a phosphor to generate visible light from the phosphor. PDP has the advantages of being thin, light, high-definition large screen, and wider viewing angle than the cathode ray tube (CRT), which has been the dominant display device. The PDP consists of discharge cells arranged in a matrix.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a discharge cell structure of a surface discharge PDP of a conventional AC drive system. Referring to FIG. 1, the upper plate 20 and the lower plate 22 are provided in parallel with a predetermined distance. The rear surface of the upper substrate 24 constituting the upper plate 20 is supplied with an AC driving signal to form a pair of discharge sustaining electrodes 26 forming a surface discharge in parallel. The dielectric layer 28 formed on the pair of discharge sustaining electrodes 26 has a function of accumulating charge during discharge. The protective layer 30 applied over the dielectric layer 28 prevents charged particles such as electrons generated during discharge from sputtering the pair of discharge sustaining electrodes 26 and the dielectric layer 28, thereby extending the life of the pixel cell. . On the lower substrate 32 constituting the lower plate 22, the data electrodes 34 for address discharge are formed to cross at right angles with the pair of discharge sustaining electrodes 26. On the lower substrate 32 and the data electrode 34, a dielectric layer 36 is formed on the entire surface to form wall charges during discharge. In addition, a partition wall not shown in the figure is formed vertically between the upper plate 20 and the lower plate 22. The partition wall forms the discharge region 38 of the cell together with the upper plate 20 and the lower plate 22, and separates the discharge cells from each other to block mutual interference between neighboring cells. Phosphor 40 is coated on the dielectric layer 36 of the lower plate 22 and the partition wall not shown in the figure. The discharge region 38 is filled with a mixed gas of He + Xe or Ne + Xe. The height of the partition wall is about several tens of m, and the length d of the discharge cell is about 1000 to 1200 m.

Briefly describing the light emission process, an address discharge occurs between the discharge sustaining electrode 26 and the data electrode 34 to form wall charges in the upper and lower dielectric layers 28 and 36. The formed wall charges lower the discharge voltage required for surface discharge. In the cells selected by the address discharge, surface discharge occurs between the discharge sustain electrodes 26 by the AC signal supplied to the discharge sustain electrode 26 pair. AC signals are usually supplied in the form of square wave pulses with a frequency of 200 kHz to 300 kHz. At this time, ultraviolet rays are generated in the discharge region 38 in the process of transition after the discharge gas is excited. The generated ultraviolet rays excite the phosphor 40 to generate visible light, thereby realizing an image of the PDP.

In AC surface discharge PDP, sustain discharge occurs only once in a very short moment for one spherical pulse. The charged particles generated during the surface discharge move the discharge paths formed between the discharge sustain electrodes 26 according to the polarities of the electrodes to form wall charges on the surface of the dielectric layer 28. The discharge is stopped because the discharge voltage in the discharge region 38 is reduced by the formed wall charge. Accordingly, in the AC surface discharge PDP, most of the discharge time is consumed as a preparation step for the formation of the wall charge and the next discharge, thereby lowering the discharge efficiency. In order to solve this problem, a PDP (hereinafter referred to as "RF PDP") in which discharge is maintained by a radio frequency signal has been proposed. In the RF PDP, a high frequency signal is applied during the sustain discharge period to vibrate electrons in the discharge region to continuously ionize the discharge gas. As a result, continuous discharge is performed for almost the discharge time.

2 is a perspective view showing a discharge cell structure of a conventional RF PDP. Referring to FIG. 2, the RF PDP includes a data electrode 62 formed on the lower substrate 60, a dielectric layer 64 formed on the lower substrate 60 and the data electrode 62, and a data electrode 62. A scan electrode 66 formed on the dielectric layer 64 so as to be perpendicular to the dielectric layer, a partition wall 68 vertically formed on the dielectric layer 64 to distinguish each discharge cell, and a phosphor coated on an inner wall of the partition wall 68. 70, the high frequency electrode 74 formed on the rear surface of the upper substrate 72 in a direction parallel to the scan electrode 66 with a predetermined space therebetween, the upper substrate 72, the lower substrate 60 and the partition wall ( And a discharge region 76 formed surrounded by 68.

A conventional driving device for driving such an RF PDP is shown in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 3, first, an address discharge for selecting a discharge cell is generated by a data pulse and a scan pulse supplied to the data electrode 62 and the scan electrode 66 of the PDP 80, respectively. The data pulses are generated from the data pulse generator 84 and supplied to the data electrodes 62, and the scan pulses are generated from the scan pulse generator 86 and supplied to the scan electrodes 66, respectively. A high frequency signal for generating high frequency sustain discharge is generated from the high frequency generator 82 and supplied to the high frequency electrode 74 of the PDP 80. In the three-electrode RF PDP as shown in FIG. 2, sustain discharge is generated between the high frequency electrode 74 and the scan electrode 66. Accordingly, the circuit is configured such that the scan electrode 66 is connected to the ground terminal GND of the high frequency signal as shown in FIG. 3 so that the scan electrode 66 becomes the ground electrode of the high frequency electrode 74 during sustain discharge. Point A). The signals supplied from the respective signal generators are supplied to the electrodes of the PDP at different timings as shown in FIG. 4 to perform address discharge, sustain discharge, and discharge erase processes.

4 is a waveform diagram illustrating a signal waveform supplied to each electrode of the RF PDP by the driving circuit of FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 4, the discharging process of the RF PDP is described. First, the data electrode 62 and the scan electrode (a) in which a data pulse is supplied to the data electrode 62 and a scan pulse is supplied to the scan electrode 66 are provided. Address discharge occurs between 66). In this process, charged particles such as electrons are generated in the discharge region 76. Subsequently, in section b, electrons having relatively high mobility among the charged particles generated in the discharge region 76 continuously generate a sustain discharge while vibrating by the high frequency signal RF supplied to the high frequency electrode 74. Since the sustain discharge occurs between the high frequency electrode 74 on the upper substrate 72 and the scan electrode 66 on the lower substrate 60, the electrons in the discharge region 76 are separated from the high frequency electrode 74 as shown in FIG. 5. The vibrating motion is moved up and down between the scan electrodes 66. These electrons 78 excite the discharge gas in the discharge region 76 and continuously generate a discharge. Ultraviolet rays generated during address discharge and sustain discharge excite the phosphor 70 to generate visible light, thereby realizing an image of the PDP. In order to stop the sustain discharge, an erase pulse must be supplied to the data electrode 62 or the scan electrode 66 (section c of FIG. 4). The erase pulse generates an electric field in the discharge cell such that the electrons 78 in the discharge region 76 no longer vibrate and are attracted to one electrode. As a result, the electrons 78 disappear in the discharge region 76 to stop the sustain discharge.

The frequency of the high frequency signal causing the sustain discharge in the RF PDP and the distance between the electrodes, that is, the height of the partition wall 68 are closely related to each other. When the distance between the high frequency electrode 74 and the scan electrode 66 is too narrow, and the electrons 78 oscillating up and down hit the upper and lower inner walls of the discharge cell, the electrons are formed as wall charges. You will not be able to vibrate. Accordingly, it is no longer possible to cause continuous discharge due to the movement of the electrons 78, and the discharge efficiency is lowered. In addition, the inner wall or the electrodes are impacted by the sputtering of the moving electrons, which may cause deterioration of the discharge cells. Therefore, in order to prevent the electrons 78 oscillating up and down in the discharge region 76 from colliding with the upper and lower inner walls, the frequency of the high frequency signal applying the force to the electrons 78 should be as high as possible. As the frequency increases, the polarity of the high frequency signal changes quickly. Then, the direction of movement of the electrons 78 vibrating up and down is also changed quickly, so that the electrons 78 change direction before traveling against the inner wall, thereby preventing the electrons 78 from hitting the upper or lower wall in the discharge cell. It becomes possible. In the cell structure of the conventional RF PDP, the height of the partition wall 68 is about several tens of micrometers, which is very low for the electrons 78 to vibrate. In order for the electrons 78 to vibrate without colliding with the upper and lower inner walls between these narrow gaps, the frequency of the high frequency signal for vibrating the electrons 78 must be hundreds of MHz or more. In terms of technology and cost, however, as the frequency of high frequency signals increases, it becomes more difficult to implement an RF PDP system that processes high frequency signals.

In order to solve this problem, as shown in FIG. 6, the two electrodes may be disposed in a diagonal direction so as to maximize the distance between the high frequency electrode 90 and the scan electrode 92 in the discharge cell. However, since the height of the partition wall 68 is low in the conventional RF PDP structure, there is an inherent limitation in reducing the frequency of the high frequency signal by this structure. Thus, studies are continued to make the height of the partition wall 68, which is the vibration interval of the electron, as high as possible. However, even in the conventional manufacturing technology of the partition wall 68, the height thereof is limited to some extent and the situation is accompanied by considerable difficulties.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a high frequency plasma display panel capable of generating sustain discharge as a high frequency signal having a relatively low frequency.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a driving apparatus of a high frequency plasma display panel which can reduce electrical interference between AC electrodes for generating address discharge and high frequency electrodes for generating sustain discharge.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method of driving a high frequency plasma display panel which can reduce electrical interference between AC electrodes for generating address discharge and high frequency electrodes for generating sustain discharge.

In order to achieve the above object, the high-frequency plasma display panel according to the present invention is a first high frequency electrode formed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the discharge cell on the upper substrate, and on the lower substrate to face the first high frequency electrode diagonally; And a second high frequency electrode formed on the lower substrate in the longitudinal direction of the discharge cell, and a data electrode formed on the upper substrate in a direction orthogonal to the data electrode to form a high frequency sustain discharge with the first high frequency electrode. A scan electrode for generating an address discharge together with the electrode is provided.

The apparatus for driving a high frequency plasma display panel according to the present invention includes a display panel having first and second high frequency electrodes to which a high frequency signal is applied, a data electrode and a scan electrode to which AC signals are applied, and generating a high frequency signal to generate the first and second signals. 2 a high frequency generator for supplying a high frequency electrode, an inverting unit connected between the high frequency generator and the second high frequency electrode to adjust a phase of a high frequency signal supplied to the second high frequency electrode, and a data electrode and a scan electrode, respectively. AC power supply units for supplying AC signals.

A driving apparatus of a high frequency plasma display panel according to the present invention includes a display panel having first and second high frequency electrodes to which a high frequency signal is applied, a data electrode and a scan electrode to which AC signals are applied, and a first high frequency electrode by generating a high frequency signal. And an AC power supply for supplying AC signals to each of the data electrode and the scan electrode.

The driving method of the high frequency plasma display panel according to the present invention supplies the high frequency signals in phase to the first and second high frequency electrodes formed on the display panel, and also supplies the AC pulses to the data electrodes and the scan electrodes formed on the display panel to perform address discharge. Generating a sustain discharge by supplying a high frequency signal in phase to the first and second high frequency electrodes and erasing the sustain discharge by supplying a high frequency signal in phase to the first and second high frequency electrodes. It includes.

A method of driving a high frequency plasma display panel according to the present invention includes supplying AC pulses to data electrodes and scan electrodes formed on the display panel to generate an address discharge, and supplying trigger pulses to the data electrodes and scan electrodes to initiate sustain discharge. And supplying a high frequency signal to the first high frequency electrode formed on the display panel and applying a ground level of the high frequency signal to the second high frequency electrode formed on the display panel to sustain sustain discharge between the first and second high frequency electrodes. And turning off the high frequency signal supplied to the first high frequency electrode to cancel the sustain discharge.

Other objects and features of the present invention in addition to the above object will be 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. 7 to 14.

7 is a perspective view illustrating a discharge cell structure of an RF PDP according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the RF PDP of the present invention, a method for generating sustain discharge as a relatively low frequency high frequency signal, each electrode is used without using a separate discharge cell structure by using the cell size and manufacturing method of the existing AC surface discharge PDP. To design. Referring to FIG. 7, first, a data electrode 102 for causing an address discharge is formed in a length direction of a discharge cell on a lower substrate 100 of a conventional AC surface discharge PDP cell structure. A dielectric layer 104 is formed on the data electrode 102 and the lower substrate 100 to form wall charges during discharge. At one end of the discharge cell in the longitudinal direction, the second high frequency electrode 106 is formed on the dielectric layer 104 in the width direction of the discharge cell. A partition wall 108 for distinguishing each discharge cell is formed vertically on the dielectric layer 104. The upper substrate 110 is disposed in parallel with the lower substrate 100 with the partition 108 therebetween. The first high frequency electrode 112 for generating sustain discharge together with the second high frequency electrode 106 is formed on the rear surface of the upper substrate 110 in a direction parallel to the second high frequency electrode 106. Here, the first high frequency electrode 112 is formed at the other end in the longitudinal direction of the discharge cell. Then, the two high frequency electrodes 106 and 112, which are divided in the longitudinal direction of the discharge cell, face each other in the diagonal direction in the cell space, thereby maximizing the distance between the two electrodes. The scan electrode 114 for generating an address discharge together with the data electrode 102 on the lower substrate 100 is formed on the rear surface of the upper substrate 110 in a direction orthogonal to the data electrode 102. On the partition 108, phosphors not shown in the figure are applied. The discharge region 116 surrounded by the upper substrate 110, the lower substrate 100, and the partition 108 is filled with a mixed gas of He + Xe or Ne + Xe. As in the case of the conventional AC surface discharge PDP, the height of the partition wall 108 is about several tens of 탆, and the length d of the discharge cell is about 1000 to 1200 탆.

The driving apparatus of the RF PDP according to the first embodiment of the present invention for driving the RF PDP having such a four-electrode structure is shown in FIG. 8. Referring to FIG. 8, data pulses for generating an address discharge are supplied from a data pulse generator 122 connected to the data electrode 102 of the PDP 120, and the scan pulses are connected to the scan electrode 114. 124). A high frequency signal for generating high frequency sustain discharge is generated from the high frequency generator 126 and supplied to the first high frequency electrode 112 and the second high frequency electrode 106, respectively. The first high frequency electrode 112 and the high frequency generator 126 are directly connected so that a high frequency signal generated from the high frequency generator 126 is directly supplied to the first high frequency electrode 112. On the other hand, an inverting circuit 128 is connected between the second high frequency electrode 106 and the high frequency generator 126. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 9, a high frequency signal RF2 having a phase in phase or inverted with the high frequency signal RF1 supplied to the first high frequency electrode 112 is supplied to the second high frequency electrode 106. . In the present invention, since the high frequency discharge is generated between the first high frequency electrode 112 and the second high frequency electrode 106, the scan electrode 114 is connected to the ground terminal GND of the high frequency signal as in the conventional case shown in FIG. There is no need to connect.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a method of driving an RF PDP according to a first embodiment of the present invention for supplying a driving signal to each electrode in the driving apparatus shown in FIG. 8. Referring to FIG. 9, a discharge process of the RF PDP is described. First, a constant high frequency signal RF1 is always supplied to the first high frequency electrode 112, and the second high frequency electrode 106 is applied according to an addressing and sustaining discharge period. The butting circuit 128 is supplied with a signal RF2 whose phase is reversed. In a section in which the data pulse is supplied to the data electrode 102 and the scan pulse is supplied to the scan electrode 114, an address discharge occurs between the data electrode 102 and the scan electrode 114. At this time, since the high frequency signal is supplied to the first high frequency electrode 112 and the second high frequency electrode 106 so that a voltage difference does not occur between the two electrodes 112 and 106, a high frequency sustain discharge does not occur and does not affect the address discharge. Unlike the conventional case, the address discharge is generated between the scan electrode 114 formed on the upper substrate 110 and the data electrode 102 formed on the lower substrate 100. Charged particles such as electrons are produced. This address discharge structure is the same discharge structure as that in the AC surface discharge PDP, which improves the stability and reliability of the next sustain discharge step as compared to the address discharge structure in the conventional RF PDP shown in FIG. In the period b at which the address discharge is completed, high frequency signals having inverted phases are supplied to the first high frequency electrode 112 and the second high frequency electrode 106 to generate a voltage difference between the two electrodes 112 and 106 to generate a high frequency sustain discharge. do. Relatively high electrons among the charged particles generated around the center of the discharge region 116 continuously generate a sustain discharge while vibrating by the high frequency signals supplied to the high frequency electrodes 112 and 106. Since the sustain discharge is generated between the first high frequency electrode 112 on the upper substrate 110 and the second high frequency electrode 106 on the lower substrate 100 disposed in the diagonal direction of the discharge cell, the electrons in the discharge region 116 As shown in FIG. 10, the first high frequency electrode 112 and the second high frequency electrode 106 vibrate in a diagonal direction for a long time and continuously discharge. Accordingly, in the present invention, it is possible to extend the vibration width of the electrons 130 vibrating in the diagonal direction to 1000 to 1200 µm or more, which is the length of the discharge cell, thereby sufficiently maintaining and discharging as a high frequency signal having a relatively low frequency of several tens of MHz. Will be able to perform When the electrons 130 oscillating in the diagonal direction are charged in the scan electrode 114 formed on the upper substrate 110, the addressing voltage of the next step may be lowered. In the RF PDP of the present invention, the electrons 130 do not oscillate up and down, but oscillate in the left and right diagonal directions of the discharge cell, so that the height of the partition 108 is not required to be high, and the cell structure of the existing AC surface discharge PDP is reduced. It can be used as it is to perform high frequency sustain discharge. In addition, as shown in the driving apparatus of FIG. 8, the AC driving signal for the address discharge and the high frequency signal for the sustain discharge are independently supplied to drive the PDP 120. Accordingly, the electrical interaction between the AC driving electrodes (data electrode 102 and scan electrode 114) and the high frequency electrodes (first high frequency electrode 112 and second high frequency electrode 106) is a conventional three-electrode structure. Will be less than. In addition, in the driving apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, only two high-frequency electrodes (by the inverting circuit 128) are used by the same high-frequency generator 126 as a source of high-frequency signals supplied to the two high-frequency electrodes 112 and 106. The phases of the signals supplied to the 112 and 106 are inverted from each other to cause sustain discharge. As a result, the voltage difference between the two high frequency electrodes 112 and 106 is doubled by two high frequency signals whose phases are inverted, so that the driving output of the high frequency generator 126 can be reduced by half. Will be. In the driving method of the RF PDP according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the high frequency signals of the same phase are supplied to the two high frequency electrodes 112 and 106 so that the sustain discharge can be easily erased (section c of FIG. 9). As a result, it is not necessary to supply the erase pulse to the data electrode 102 or the scan electrode 114 as in the conventional case shown in FIG. 4, and the discharge can be more effectively erased.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a driving apparatus of the RF PDP according to the second embodiment of the present invention for driving the discharge cells of the RF PDP according to the present invention shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 11, in the driving apparatus of the RF PDP according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the second high frequency electrode 106 is directly connected to the ground terminal GND of the high frequency signal without passing through the inverting circuit. The other configuration is the same as that of the driving apparatus of the RF PDP according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. The second high frequency electrode 106 serves as a ground electrode of the first high frequency electrode 112 to which a high frequency signal is supplied. In the driving apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, since the AC driving signal for the address discharge and the high frequency signal for the sustain discharge are independently supplied to generate a discharge, the AC electrodes (data electrode 102 and scan electrode 114) are discharged. ) And the electrical interference between the high frequency electrodes (the first high frequency electrode 112 and the second high frequency electrode 106) is reduced.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a method of driving an RF PDP according to a second embodiment of the present invention for supplying a driving signal to each electrode of the driving apparatus shown in FIG. 11. In the driving apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the high frequency signal is supplied only to the first high frequency electrode 112, and the second high frequency electrode 106 serves as a ground electrode of the high frequency signal. The sustain discharge cannot be performed / erased in the same manner as in the driving method according to the present invention. Accordingly, the high frequency signal RF1 supplied to the first high frequency electrode 112 must be turned on / off to perform / erase the sustain discharge as shown in the drawing. The signal RF2 applied to the second high frequency electrode 106 always maintains the ground level of the high frequency signal RF1. In section a, the data discharge and the scan pulse are supplied to the data electrode 102 and the scan electrode 114 while the high frequency signal RF1 to be supplied to the first high frequency electrode 112 is turned off. In the section b where sustain discharge occurs, the high frequency signal is switched on and supplied to the first high frequency electrode 112. In this case, a trigger pulse for starting high frequency discharge when the high frequency signal is switched on should be supplied to the data electrode 102 and the scan electrode 114. The discharge initiated by the trigger pulse is continuously maintained by the high frequency signal RF1 supplied to the first high frequency electrode 112. As shown in FIG. 10, the high frequency signal vibrates the electrons 130 in the discharge region 116 in the diagonal direction of the discharge cell, causing a sustain discharge. When the high frequency signal RF1 supplied to the first high frequency electrode 112 is turned off again, the sustain discharge is erased (section c). In the RF PDP driving method according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the AC driving pulse for generating the address discharge and the high frequency signal for generating the sustain discharge are supplied in different periods, thereby further reducing the electrical interference between the electrodes.

In the discharge cell of the RF PDP according to the embodiment of the present invention, the distance between the first high frequency electrode 112 and the second high frequency electrode 106 is configured to be longest. When such unit discharge cells are collected to form a plasma display panel, a problem that can be pointed out is a problem of misdischarge between adjacent cells. That is, since the first high frequency electrode formed in one cell and the second high frequency electrode formed in another cell adjacent to each other are positioned closer to each other, there is a possibility that erroneous discharge occurs between two electrodes located in different discharge cells. In order to solve this problem, each electrode line of the RF PDP should be formed in a structure as shown in FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a view illustrating an overall electrode line and a discharge cell arrangement structure of an RF PDP according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 13, positions of the first high frequency electrode 112 and the second high frequency electrode 106 which are formed for each scan line 140 are alternately changed along the row direction of the panel. It should be designed to That is, in one scan line, if the first high frequency electrode is positioned at the upper end of the line and the second high frequency electrode is positioned at the lower end of the line, the second high frequency electrode is positioned at the upper end of the line and the first high frequency electrode is located at the upper or lower adjacent line It should be designed to be located at the bottom. Then, the first high frequency electrode formed in one discharge cell 142 and the second high frequency electrode formed in another discharge cell adjacent to the top / bottom are separated from each other. In this case, since a signal of the same phase and the same level is always applied simultaneously between the first high frequency electrodes and the second high frequency electrodes which are adjacent to each other, no misdischarge occurs. As such, when the electrode line is formed, the first high frequency electrode positioned in one cell generates normal discharge only between the second high frequency electrodes formed in the cell, thereby preventing mis-discharge between adjacent cells.

As described above, in the high-frequency plasma display panel according to the present invention, electrons are continuously vibrated in the diagonal direction of the discharge cell in the discharge cell, causing continuous discharge in the diagonal direction of the first and second high-frequency electrodes. . Accordingly, it is possible to cause a sustain discharge as a high frequency signal of a relatively low frequency without increasing the height of the partition wall separately. In addition, sustain discharge can be generated at the center of the discharge cell, thereby improving the light output uniformity in the discharge cell. Electrode lines are arranged so that the first high frequency electrode formed in one discharge cell and the second high frequency electrode formed in another discharge cell are separated from each other, thereby preventing erroneous discharge between adjacent cells. The address discharge is generated between the scan electrode formed on the upper substrate and the data electrode formed on the lower substrate. Accordingly, since charged particles such as electrons are generated around the central portion of the discharge area, stability and reliability of the next sustain discharge step are improved.

In a driving apparatus and a driving method for driving a high frequency plasma display panel according to the present invention, a high frequency generator is generated by supplying two high frequency signals generated from the same high frequency generating source to a first high frequency electrode and a second high frequency electrode to generate sustain discharge. It is possible to reduce the driving output of the circuit in half and to easily design the high frequency circuit. By independently driving the electrodes for generating the address discharge and the electrodes for generating the sustain discharge, mutual interference between the electrodes can be relatively reduced as compared with the conventional case.

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 (9)

A first high frequency electrode formed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the discharge cell on the upper substrate; A second high frequency electrode formed on the lower substrate so as to face the first high frequency electrode on a diagonal line to generate a high frequency sustain discharge together with the first high frequency electrode; A data electrode formed on the lower substrate in a length direction of the discharge cell; And a scan electrode formed on the upper substrate in a direction orthogonal to the data electrode to generate an address discharge together with the data electrode. The method of claim 1, The first high frequency electrode disposed in an arbitrary scan line is disposed in proximity to the first high frequency electrode disposed in an adjacent scan line, And the second high frequency electrode disposed in an arbitrary scan line is disposed adjacent to the second high frequency electrode disposed in an adjacent scan line. The method of claim 1, And the discharge cell has a length of 1000 µm or more. A display panel having cross-facing data electrodes and scan electrodes, and first and second high-frequency electrodes facing diagonally; A high frequency generator for generating and supplying a high frequency signal to the first and second high frequency electrodes; An inverting part connected between the high frequency generator and the second high frequency electrode and inserted to adjust a phase of the high frequency signal supplied to the second high frequency electrode; And a driving power supply unit supplying driving signals to each of the data electrode and the scan electrode. The method of claim 4, wherein the inverting portion And driving in-phase high frequency signals to each of the first and second high frequency electrodes and selectively supplying high frequency signals of inverse phase. A display panel having cross-facing data electrodes and scan electrodes, and first and second high-frequency electrodes facing diagonally; A high frequency generator for generating a high frequency signal and supplying the high frequency signal to the first high frequency electrode; A connection part connecting the ground end of the high frequency generation part to the second high frequency electrode; And a driving power supply unit supplying driving signals to each of the data electrode and the scan electrode. The method of claim 6, wherein the high frequency generation unit And driving the high frequency signal applied to the first high frequency electrode to generate sustain discharge and to erase the sustain discharge. A method of driving a plasma display panel having a data electrode and a scan electrode which are opposed to each other, and first and second high frequency electrodes that are diagonally opposed to each other, the method comprising: Supplying a high frequency signal in phase to the first and second high frequency electrodes and applying a driving voltage to the data electrode and the scan electrode formed on the display panel to generate an address discharge; Supplying anti-phase high frequency signals to the first and second high frequency electrodes to cause sustain discharge; And supplying high frequency signals in phase to the first and second high frequency electrodes to cancel the sustain discharge. Supplying an AC pulse to the data electrodes and the scan electrodes formed on the display panel to cause an address discharge; Supplying a trigger pulse to the data electrode and the scan electrode to initiate sustain discharge; The sustain discharge is maintained between the first and second high frequency electrodes by supplying a high frequency signal to the first high frequency electrode formed on the display panel and by applying a ground level of the high frequency signal to the second high frequency electrode formed on the display panel. Making a step, And turning off the high frequency signal supplied to the first high frequency electrode to cancel the sustain discharge.

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