KR100800435B1 - Driving Method for Plasma Display Panel - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of driving a plasma display panel that improves an application time point of a pulse applied in an address period, and reduces noise generated in a waveform applied to a scan electrode or a sustain electrode. This stabilizes the address discharge, thereby reducing the drive stability.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides at least one subfield in which a predetermined pulse is applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn (n is a positive integer), the scan electrode, and the sustain electrode in the reset period, the address period, and the sustain period. A method of driving a plasma display panel which expresses an image made up of a predetermined number of frames by a combination of two or more, comprising: dividing an address electrode into a plurality of address electrode groups, and transferring the time of application of a scan pulse applied to the scan electrode in the address period. The data pulses may be applied to at least one address electrode group in each of the following and subsequent steps.

Plasma display panel, noise, electrode group, data pulse, scan pulse, application point

Description

Driving method for plasma display panel {Driving Method for Plasma Display Panel}

1 is a diagram showing the structure of a typical plasma display panel.

2 is a view illustrating a coupling relationship between a plasma display panel and a driving module.

3 is a diagram illustrating a method of implementing image gradation of a conventional plasma display panel.

4 is a view illustrating a driving waveform according to a driving method of a conventional plasma display panel.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining application time of a pulse applied to an address period in a conventional method of driving a plasma display panel; FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining generation of noise due to pulses applied to an address period in a conventional method of driving a plasma display panel; FIG.

7A to 7C are diagrams for explaining a driving waveform according to the first embodiment of the method for driving a plasma display panel of the present invention.

8A to 8B are diagrams for explaining noise reduced by a driving waveform according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

9 is Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the division of address electrodes X1 to Xn into four address electrode groups in order to explain the second embodiment of the method of driving the plasma display panel of the present invention.

10 is a view for explaining a driving waveform according to the second embodiment of the method of driving a plasma display panel of the present invention;

Fig. 11 is a view for explaining a driving waveform according to the third embodiment of the method of driving a plasma display panel of the present invention.

12A to 12C are diagrams for describing a driving waveform according to a third embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 11 in more detail.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

20: data driver IC 21: scan driver IC

23: sustain board 90: panel

91: Xa electrode group 92: Xb electrode group

93: Xc electrode group 94: Xd electrode group

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plasma display panel. More particularly, the noise generated in a waveform applied to a scan electrode or a sustain electrode is improved by improving the application time of a pulse applied in an address period. The present invention relates to a plasma display panel driving method which reduces and stabilizes an address discharge to suppress a decrease in driving stability of a panel.

In general, a plasma display panel is a partition wall formed between a front substrate and a rear substrate to form a unit cell, and each cell includes neon (Ne), helium (He), or a mixture of neon and helium (Ne + He) and An inert gas containing the same main discharge gas and a small amount of xenon is filled. When discharged by a high frequency voltage, the inert gas generates vacuum ultraviolet rays and emits phosphors formed between the partition walls to realize an image. Such a plasma display panel has a spotlight as a next generation display device because of its thin and light configuration.

1 illustrates a structure of a general plasma display panel.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plasma display panel includes a front substrate in which a plurality of sustain electrode pairs formed by pairing a scan electrode 102 and a sustain electrode 103 are formed on a front glass 101, which is a display surface on which an image is displayed. The rear substrate 110 having the plurality of address electrodes 113 arranged to intersect the plurality of sustain electrode pairs on the back glass 111 forming the back surface 100 and the rear surface is coupled in parallel with a predetermined distance therebetween. .

The front substrate 100 is made of a scan electrode 102 and a sustain electrode 103, that is, a transparent electrode (a) formed of a transparent ITO material and a metal material to mutually discharge and maintain light emission of the cells in one discharge cell. The scan electrode 102 and the sustain electrode 103 provided as the bus electrode b are included in pairs. The scan electrode 102 and the sustain electrode 103 are covered by one or more upper dielectric layers 104 that limit the discharge current and insulate the electrode pairs, and to facilitate the discharge conditions on the upper dielectric layer 104 top surface. A protective layer 105 on which magnesium oxide (MgO) is deposited is formed.

The rear substrate 110 is arranged in such a manner that a plurality of discharge spaces, that is, barrier ribs 112 of a stripe type (or well type) for forming discharge cells are maintained in parallel. In addition, a plurality of address electrodes 113 which perform address discharge to generate vacuum ultraviolet rays are arranged in parallel with the partition wall 112. On the upper side of the rear substrate 110, R, G, and B phosphors 114 which emit visible light for image display during address discharge are coated. A lower dielectric layer 115 is formed between the address electrode 113 and the phosphor 114 to protect the address electrode 113.

The plasma display panel having such a structure is formed of a plurality of discharge cells in a matrix structure, and is driven with a drive module including a drive circuit for supplying a predetermined pulse to the discharge cells. The coupling relationship between the plasma display panel and the driving module is shown in FIG. 2.

2 is a view illustrating a coupling relationship between a plasma display panel and a driving module.

As shown in FIG. 2, the driving module includes, for example, a data driver integrated circuit (IC) 20, a scan driver IC 21, and a sustain board 23. The plasma display panel 22 receives an image signal from the outside, receives a data pulse output from the data driver IC 20 through a predetermined signal processing process, and scan pulses and sustain pulses output from the scan driver IC 21. Is received, and the sustain pulse output from the sustain board 23 is received. A discharge occurs in a cell selected by the scan pulse among a plurality of cells included in the plasma display panel 22 receiving the data pulse, the scan pulse, the sustain pulse, and the like, and the discharged cell emits light with a predetermined luminance. The data driver IC 20 outputs a predetermined data pulse to each of the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn through a connection such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC) (not shown).

A method of implementing image gradation in such a plasma display panel is shown in FIG. 3.

3 is a diagram illustrating a method of implementing image grayscale of a conventional plasma display panel.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the conventional method of expressing a gray level of a plasma display panel, a frame is divided into several subfields having different number of light emission times, and each subfield is again configured as a reset period (RPD) for initializing all cells. ) Is divided into an address period APD for selecting a cell to be discharged and a sustain period SPD for implementing gradation according to the number of discharges. For example, when displaying an image with 256 gray levels, a frame period (16.67 ms) corresponding to 1/60 second is divided into eight subfields SF1 to SF8 as shown in FIG. 3, and eight subfields. Each of the SFs SF1 to SF8 is divided into a reset period, an address period, and a sustain period.

The reset period and the address period of each subfield are the same for each subfield. The address discharge for selecting the cell to be discharged is caused by the voltage difference between the address electrode and the transparent electrode which is the scan electrode. The sustain period is increased at a rate of 2 ⁿ ( ^where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) in each subfield. In this way, since the sustain period is different in each subfield, the gray scale of the image is expressed by adjusting the sustain period of each subfield, that is, the number of sustain discharges. Looking at the driving waveform according to the driving method of the plasma display panel as shown in FIG.

4 is a diagram illustrating a driving waveform according to a driving method of a conventional plasma display panel.

As shown in Fig. 4, the plasma display panel erases the reset period for initializing all the cells, the address period for selecting the cells to be discharged, the sustain period for maintaining the discharge of the selected cells, and the wall charges in the discharged cells. It is divided into an erase period for driving.

In the reset period, the rising ramp waveform Ramp-up is applied to all the scan electrodes at the same time in the setup period. This rising ramp waveform causes weak dark discharge within the full discharge cells. By this setup discharge, positive wall charges are accumulated on the address electrode and the sustain electrode, and negative wall charges are accumulated on the scan electrode.

In the set-down period, after the rising ramp waveform is supplied, the falling ramp waveform (Ramp-down) begins to fall from the positive voltage lower than the peak voltage of the rising ramp waveform and falls to a specific voltage level below the ground (GND) level voltage. By generating a weak erase discharge in the inside, the wall charges excessively formed in the scan electrode are sufficiently erased. By this set-down discharge, wall charges such that the address discharge can stably occur remain uniformly in the cells.

In the address period, the negative scan pulses are sequentially applied to the scan electrodes, and the positive data pulses are applied to the address electrodes in synchronization with the scan pulses. As the voltage difference between the scan pulse and the data pulse and the wall voltage generated in the reset period are added, address discharge is generated in the discharge cell to which the data pulse is applied. In the cells selected by the address discharge, wall charges are formed such that a discharge can occur when the sustain voltage Vs is applied. The sustain electrode is supplied with a positive polarity voltage Vz during the set down period and the address period so as to reduce the voltage difference with the scan electrode so as to prevent mis-discharge with the scan electrode.

In the sustain period, a sustain pulse Su is applied to the scan electrode and the sustain electrodes alternately. In the cell selected by the address discharge, as the wall voltage and the sustain pulse in the cell are added, a sustain discharge, that is, a display discharge, occurs between the scan electrode and the sustain electrode every time the sustain pulse is applied.

After the sustain discharge is completed, in the erase period, a voltage of an erase ramp waveform Ramp-ers having a small pulse width and a low voltage level is supplied to the sustain electrode to erase the wall charge remaining in the cells of the full screen.

In the plasma display panel driven by the driving waveform, the application time of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrodes and the data pulses applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn in the address period are the same. The application time of the scan pulse and the data pulse in the conventional address period is as follows.

5 is a view for explaining the application time of the pulse applied to the address period in the conventional method of driving a plasma display panel.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the conventional method of driving a plasma display panel, all data pulses applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn in the address period are simultaneously applied to the scan pulses applied to the scan electrodes. As such, when the data pulse and the scan pulse are applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn and the scan electrodes at the same time, noise is generated in the waveforms applied to the scan electrodes and the waveforms applied to the sustain electrodes. An example in which noise generated when the data pulse and the scan pulse are applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn and the scan electrode at the same time point will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining generation of noise due to a pulse applied to an address period in a conventional method of driving a plasma display panel.

As shown in FIG. 6, when a data pulse and a scan pulse are applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn and the scan electrode in the address period in the conventional plasma display panel driving method, the waveforms are applied to the waveforms applied to the scan electrode and the sustain electrode. Noise occurs. This noise is caused by the coupling through the capacitance of the panel. When the data pulse is rapidly rising, rising noise is generated in the waveform applied to the scan electrode and the sustain electrode, and the data pulse is suddenly raised. At the time of falling, falling noise is generated in the waveform applied to the scan electrode and the sustain electrode.

As described above, noise generated on a waveform applied to the scan electrode and the sustain electrode by a data pulse applied to the address electrode at the same time as the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode causes the address discharge occurring in the address period to become unstable, thereby driving stability of the panel. By lowering the driving efficiency of the plasma display panel is reduced.

In order to solve this problem, the present invention sets the application time of the data pulse applied to the address electrode in the address period before and after the application time of the application of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of driving a plasma display panel that makes the point of application different from each other.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides at least one subfield in which a predetermined pulse is applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn (n is a positive integer), the scan electrode, and the sustain electrode in the reset period, the address period, and the sustain period. A method of driving a plasma display panel which expresses an image made up of a predetermined number of frames by a combination of the above, the method comprising dividing the address electrodes into a plurality of address electrode groups, and applying scan pulses applied to the scan electrodes in the address period. A data pulse is applied to at least one of the address electrode groups, respectively, before and after the viewpoint.

The number of address electrodes to which a data pulse is applied before the application of the scan pulse in the address period is the same as the number of address electrodes to which a data pulse is applied after the application of the scan pulse.

The number of the address electrode groups is two or more, and the total number of the address electrodes is less than or equal to.

The address electrode group may include one or more of the address electrodes.

The address electrode group may all include the same number of the address electrodes or one or more different numbers of the address electrodes.

The data pulses are applied to all address electrodes included in the address electrode group at the same time.

The difference between the application point of the scan pulse and the application point of the data pulse closest to the application point of the scan pulse in the subfield is the same or different.

The difference between the application time of the scan pulse and the application time of the data pulse closest to the application time of the scan pulse in the subfield is 10 ns or more and 1000 ns or less.

The difference between the application time of the scan pulse and the application time of the data pulse closest to the application time of the scan pulse in the subfield may have a value of 1/100 times or more times 1 times the predetermined scan pulse width. .

The difference between the application time points of the two data pulses applied at different time points among two or more different electrode groups may be the same or different.

The difference between the application time points between the two data pulses applied at different time points among two or more different electrode groups may be 10 ns or more and 1000 ns or less.

The difference in the application time point between the two data pulses applied at different time points among two or more different electrode groups is characterized by having a value of 1/100 times or more than 1 time of the predetermined scan pulse width.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a plasma display panel and a method of driving the same will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment>

7A to 7C are diagrams for describing a driving waveform according to the first embodiment of the method of driving the plasma display panel of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 7A, a driving waveform according to the first embodiment of the present invention may be applied to a scan electrode Y when a data pulse applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn is applied to an address period of one subfield. The data pulses applied to at least one of the address electrodes in at least one of the address periods of one subfield are different from the application point of the scan pulses, and are applied before the application point of the scan pulses applied to the scan electrodes. The data pulses applied to the remaining address electrodes are applied after the application of the scan pulses. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the driving waveform according to the driving method of the present invention corresponds to the arrangement order of the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn when it is assumed that the application time of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y is ts. The data pulse is applied to the address electrode X ₁ at a time point 2Δt before the time when the scan pulse is applied to the scan electrode Y, that is, the time point ts-2Δt. In addition, a data pulse is applied to the address electrode X ₂ at a time point Δt ahead of the time point at which the scan pulse is applied to the scan electrode Y, that is, the time point ts-Δt. In this way, a data pulse is applied at the time ts + Δt to the X (n-1) electrode and a data pulse is applied at the time ts + 2Δt to the Xn electrode. That is, as shown in FIG. 7A, the data pulses applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn are applied before or after the application of the scan pulses applied to the scan electrodes Y, respectively.

In this case, it is preferable that the number of address electrodes to which the data pulse is applied before the application of the scan pulse is the same as the number of address electrodes to which the data pulse is applied after the application of the scan pulse. For example, the difference between the application time points between the data pulses applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn is equal to Δt, and the number of address electrodes to which the data pulses are applied before the application time of the scan pulse is one, and the rest Assuming that data pulses are applied to all of the (n-1) address electrodes after the application of the scan pulse, the last (n-1) th data pulses are applied to the address electrodes to which the last (n-1) th data is applied after the application of the scan pulse. The duration times of the data and scan pulses will decrease by more than (n-1) Δt from the total Duration Time Dt. That is, the duration time between the data pulse and the scan pulse applied to the last (n-1) th address electrode is (Dt- (n-1) Δt). In contrast, assuming that the data pulse is applied to the half of the address electrode before the application of the scan pulse and the data pulse is applied to the other half of the address electrode after the application of the scan pulse. The time difference between the application point of the applied data pulse and the application point of the scan pulse is (n / 2) Δt. Therefore, the smallest duration time is (Dt- (n / 2) Δt). Here, assuming that the number of address electrodes is 1000, considering that the number of address electrodes is hundreds to thousands, (Dt- (n-1) Δt) described above is (Dt-999Δt), and (Dt- (n / 2 ) Δt) is (Dt-500Δt). As a result, it is advantageous to secure the duration time by dividing the address electrodes in half and applying data pulses to the half of the address electrodes before and after the application of the scan pulse.

Here, the address discharge between the address electrode X ₁ and the scan electrode to which the data pulse is applied prior to the application of the scan pulse in the driving waveform of FIG. 7A is illustrated in FIG. 7B. For example, assuming that the address discharge start voltage (Firing Voltage) is 170V, the scan pulse voltage is 100V, and the data pulse voltage is 70V, the scan electrode Y is first applied by the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y. ) And the voltage difference between the address electrode X ₁ becomes 100 V and the scan electrode Y and the address electrode X ₁ are driven by a data pulse applied to the address electrode X ₁ after Δt has passed since the application of the above-described scan pulse. The voltage difference between them rises to 170V. As a result, the voltage difference between the scan electrode Y and the address electrode X ₁ becomes the address discharge start voltage and an address discharge occurs between the scan electrode Y and the address electrode X ₁ .

Unlike the case of FIG. 7B, the address discharge between the address electrode Xn− ₁ and the scan electrode to which the data pulse is applied after the time of applying the scan pulse is as shown in FIG. 7C. For example, assuming that the address discharge start voltage is 170V, the scan pulse voltage is 100V, and the data pulse voltage is 70V, as shown in FIG. 7C, the scan is first performed by the data pulse applied to the address electrode X ₁ in the region B. FIG. The voltage difference between the electrode Y and the address electrode X ₁ becomes 70V, and after the time Δt has passed since the application of the above-described data pulse, the scan electrode Y and the scan electrode Y are applied by the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y. The voltage difference between the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn rises to 170V. As a result, the voltage difference between the scan electrode Y and the address electrode X ₁ becomes the address discharge start voltage and an address discharge occurs between the scan electrode Y and the address electrode X ₁ .

Here Figures 7a-7c in the scan electrode (Y) address electrodes (X ₁ a time difference or a time between application time points of data pulses applied to the application of the scan pulse applied to the time and the address electrode (X ₁ ~ Xn) ~ Xn in The difference in time of application between the data pulses applied to) is explained by the concept of Δt. Here, referring to Δt described above, for example, the application time of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y is ts, and the time difference between the application time ts between the application pulse ts and the closest data pulse is Δt. The difference between the application time point ts of the scan pulse and the next adjacent data pulse is referred to as Δt twice, that is, 2Δt. This Δt remains constant. That is, while the applying time point of the data pulse applied to the scan electrode scan application time point and the address electrode (X ₁ ~ Xn) of the pulse applied to the (Y) different from each another are applied to each of the address electrodes (X ₁ ~ Xn) The difference between the application points between the data pulses is equal to each other. Here, the difference between the application time points between the data pulses applied to the respective address electrodes X ₁ to Xn in one subfield is the same, and the data pulses closest to the application time of the scan pulse and the application time of the scan pulse are the same. The difference between the points of application may be the same, or they may be different. For example, the difference between the application time points between the data pulses applied to the respective address electrodes X ₁ to Xn in one subfield is equal to each other, and closest to the application time ts of the scan pulse in any one address period. If the time difference between the visible points between the data pulses is Δt, the time difference between the application time points between the data pulses closest to the application time point ts of the scan pulses in another address period in the same subfield is 2 Δt. In this case, the time difference between the application point ts of the scan pulse and the application point between the closest data pulses is preferably set to 10 nanoseconds (ns) or more and 1000 nanoseconds (ns) or less in consideration of the time of the limited address period. Further, in view of any one of the scan pulse widths in accordance with the driving of the plasma display panel, it is preferable that Δt is set within a range of 1/100 times to 1 times the predetermined scan pulse width. For example, assuming that the width of one scan pulse is 1 microsecond (microseconds), as described above, the time difference between application points is 1/100 of 1 microsecond (microseconds), that is, 10 nanoseconds (ns) or more. It has a range of 1 times (microseconds), that is, 1000 nanoseconds (ns) or less.

In addition, the time difference between the application time between the data pulses may be different while the application time of the scan pulse and the application time of the data pulses are different. That is, while the application time of the data pulses applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn is different from the application time of the scan pulses applied to the scan electrodes Y, the data pulses applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn are different from each other. Set the application time point differently. For example, suppose that the time of application of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y is ts, and the time difference between the time of application of the scan pulse and the time of application between the closest data pulses is Δt. Then, the difference in time of application between adjacent data pulses may be 3Δt. For example, if the time when the scan pulse is applied to the scan electrode Y is 0 nanoseconds, the data pulse is applied to the address electrode X ₁ at the time of 10 nanoseconds (ns). Accordingly, the time difference between the application time of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y and the application time of the data pulse applied to the address electrode X ₁ is 10 nanoseconds (ns). Then, a data pulse is applied to the address electrode X ₂ at a time of 20 nanoseconds (ns), so that the application time of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y and the data pulse applied to the address electrode X ₂ are applied. The time difference between the viewpoints is 20 nanoseconds (ns), and accordingly, the time difference between the application time of the data pulses applied to the address electrode X ₁ and the application time of the data pulses applied to the address electrode X ₂ is 10 nanoseconds (ns). Then, when the data pulse is applied to the next address electrode X ₃ at 40 nanoseconds (ns), the time point at which the scan pulse is applied to the scan electrode Y and the time point at which the data pulse is applied to the address electrode X ₃ are applied. The time difference between them is 40 nanoseconds (ns), and accordingly, the time difference between the application time of the data pulses applied to the address electrode X ₂ and the application time of the data pulses applied to the address electrode X ₃ is 20 nanoseconds (ns). That is, the data applied to the scan electrode (Y) scanning each of the address electrodes (X ₁ ~ Xn) while differently applying time point of the data pulse applied to the application of the pulse time and the address electrode (X ₁ ~ Xn) to be applied to the The difference between the application time points between the pulses may be set differently.

Here, the time difference Δt between the time of applying the scan pulse applied to each scan electrode Y and the time of applying the data pulse applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn is 10 nanoseconds (ns) or more and 1000 nanoseconds (ns) or less. It is preferable to be set. Further, in view of any one of the scan pulse widths in accordance with the driving of the plasma display panel, it is preferable that Δt is set within a range of 1/100 times to 1 times the predetermined scan pulse width.

As described above, when the application time of the data pulses applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn is set before and after the application of the scan pulses applied to the scan electrodes Y in the address period, the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn are set. At each time of application of the data pulses applied to the N-axis, coupling of the panel through the capacitance is reduced to reduce noise of the waveforms applied to the scan electrode and the sustain electrode. This noise reduction will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8B.

8A to 8B are diagrams for describing noise reduced by a driving waveform according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8A, noise of waveforms applied to the scan electrode and the sustain electrode is substantially reduced compared to FIG. 6. Such noise is shown in more detail in FIG. 8B. Reason for this noise reduction is not applied to the data pulse at the same time as applying time point of a scan pulse applied to the scan electrode (Y) to all the address electrodes (X ₁ ~ Xn), each of the address electrodes (X ₁ ~ Xn By applying a data pulse at a time different from the time when the scan pulse is applied to each other and reducing coupling through the capacitance of the panel at each time, the scan electrode and the sustain electrode at the time when the data pulse is rapidly rising This is because the rising noise generated in the waveform applied to the waveform is reduced, and the falling noise generated in the waveform applied to the scan electrode and the sustain electrode is reduced when the data pulse falls rapidly. In addition, the address discharge is stabilized by suppressing a decrease in the duration time, which is a period in which the scan pulse and the data pulse overlap.

As a result, the address discharge occurring in the address period is stabilized to suppress the deterioration of the driving stability of the plasma display panel. As a result, by stabilizing the address discharge of the plasma display panel, a single scan method for scanning the entire panel with one driving unit can be applied.

Meanwhile, in the above description, data pulses are applied to all of the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn at different times from those of the scan pulses applied to the scan electrodes. However, data addresses are differently applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn. At least one of the data pulses may be applied at the same time as at least two (n-1) or less address electrodes among the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn. This method is described in the following second embodiment.

Second Embodiment

9 is In order to explain the second embodiment of the method of driving the plasma display panel of the present invention, the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn are divided into four address electrode groups.

As shown in FIG. 9, the address X ₁ to Xn electrodes of the plasma display panel 90 are, for example, the Xa electrode groups Xa ₁ to Xa (n) / 4 91 and the Xb electrode group Xb ( n + 1) / 4 to Xb (2n) / 4) 92, Xc electrode group (Xc (2n + 1) / 4 to Xc (3n) / 4) 93, and Xd electrode group (Xd (3n + 1) / 4 to Xd (n)) 97, and in this state of dividing the address electrode into a plurality of address electrode groups, each before and after the application time of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode in the address period. The data pulses are applied to at least one address electrode group, respectively. That is, half of each of the divided address electrode groups applies a data pulse before the application of the scan pulse, and applies the data pulse after the application of the scan pulse to the remaining address electrode groups. In addition, data pulses are applied to all of the electrodes Xa ₁ to Xa (n) / 4 belonging to the Xa electrode group 91 at a time different from that of the application of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y. The application time points of the data pulses applied to the electrodes Xa ₁ to Xa (n) / 4 belonging to one Xa electrode group 91 may be the same. In addition, the electrodes belonging to the other electrode groups 92, 93, and 94 are different from the application point of the data pulses of the electrodes Xa ₁ to Xa (n) / 4 belonging to the Xa electrode group 91. Data pulses can be applied.

In FIG. 9, the number of address electrodes included in each address electrode group 91, 92, 93, and 94 is the same, but the number of address electrodes included in each address electrode group 91, 92, 93, and 94 is the same. It is also possible to set the different from each other. The number of address electrode groups can also be adjusted. Further, the number of address electrode groups according to the second embodiment of the present invention may be set between a minimum of two or more and a range smaller than the total number of address electrodes, that is, 2 ≦ N ≦ (n−1). In FIG. 9, the data driver IC, the scan driver IC, and the sustain board are separated from the panel 90 by a predetermined distance for convenience of drawing and description, and the address electrodes, the scan electrodes, and the sustain electrodes of the panel 90, respectively. Although the connected structure is shown, the data driver IC, the scan driver IC, and the sustain board may be configured in combination with the panel 90.

An application time point of the data pulse applied to the plasma display panel divided into the four address electrode groups is as follows.

10 is a view for explaining a driving waveform according to the second embodiment of the method of driving a plasma display panel of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 10, the driving waveform according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of address electrodes (X ₁ to Xn) as shown in FIG. 9. Group, the Xc electrode group, and the Xd electrode group), and in this state of dividing the address electrode into a plurality of address electrode groups, at least data pulses before and after the application point of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode in the address period are at least. It is applied to each one of the address electrode group.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the driving waveform according to the driving method of the present invention includes an address electrode including address electrodes X ₁ to Xn when it is assumed that an application point of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y is ts. In accordance with the arrangement order of the groups, the address electrodes included in the Xa electrode group (Xa ₁ to Xa (n) / 4) are 2Δt before the time when the scan pulse is applied to the scan electrode Y, that is, the time point ts- The data pulse is applied at 2Δt, and the address electrodes Xb (n + 1) / 4 to Xb (2n) / 4 included in the Xb electrode group than the time point at which the scan pulse is applied to the scan electrode Y. A data pulse is applied at a point in time Δt, that is, a point in time ts-Δt, and in this manner, a point in time ts at the address electrodes Xc (2n + 1) / 4 to Xc (3n) / 4 included in the Xc electrode group. The data pulse is applied at + Δt, and the data pulses at the time ts + 2Δt are applied to the address electrodes Xd (3n + 1) / 4 to Xd (n) included in the Xd electrode group. Is applied. That is, the data pulse applied to each of Xa, Xb, Xc, Xd electrode group comprising the address electrodes (X ₁ ~ Xn) as shown in Figure 10a is applied to the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode (Y) It is applied before or after the time point.

Here, in FIG. 10, for example, the application time point of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y is referred to as ts, and the time difference between the application time point between the application point ts of the scan pulse and the closest data pulse is Δt. The difference in time of application between the time of application ts and the next adjacent data pulse is called 2Δt. This Δt remains constant. That is, in at least one address electrode group of the plurality of address electrode groups, an application time point of the data pulse applied to the address electrode is different from an application time point of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y, and is applied to the plurality of address electrode groups. The difference between the application time points between the data pulses applied to each of the included address electrodes X ₁ to Xn is equal to each other. Alternatively, the application time of the data pulse applied to the address electrode in at least one electrode group among the plurality of address electrode groups is different from that of the application of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y, and according to the plurality of address electrode groups. The difference between the application time points between the data pulses applied to the respective address electrode groups may be different from each other. In other words, if the time difference between the application point ts of the scan pulses and the application point between the closest data pulses is Δt, the difference between the application point ts of the scan pulses and the next application data pulse may be 3Δt. For example, if the time when the scan pulse is applied to the scan electrode Y is 0 nanoseconds, the data pulse is applied to the address electrodes included in the Xa electrode group at the time of 10 nanoseconds (ns). Accordingly, the time difference between the application point of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y and the application point of the data pulse applied to the Xa electrode group is 10 nanoseconds (ns). Next, data pulses are applied to the address electrodes included in the Xb electrode group, which is the address electrode group, at a time of 20 nanoseconds (ns), and are applied to the time point at which the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y is applied and the Xb electrode group. The time difference between the application time points of the data pulses applied is 20 nanoseconds (ns). Accordingly, the time difference between the application time point of the data pulses applied to the Xa electrode group and the application time point of the data pulses applied to the Xb electrode group is 10 nanoseconds (ns). to be. Subsequently, data pulses are applied to the address electrodes included in the Xc electrode group, which is the address electrode group, at a time of 40 nanoseconds (ns), and are applied to the time point at which the scan pulse applied to the aforementioned scan electrode Y is applied and to the Xc electrode group. The time difference between the application time of the data pulses applied is 40 nanoseconds (ns), and thus the time difference between the application time of the data pulses applied to the Xb electrode group and the application time of the data pulses applied to the Xc electrode group is 20 nanoseconds (ns). . That is, the difference between the application time of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y and the application time of the data pulse applied to each address electrode group is different from each other. It can be set differently.

In this case, the difference in application time between the data pulses according to the plurality of address electrode groups described above is preferably set to 10 nanoseconds (ns) or more and 1000 nanoseconds (ns) or less in consideration of the time of the limited address period. Further, in view of any one of the scan pulse widths in accordance with the driving of the plasma display panel, it is preferable that Δt is set within a range of 1/100 times to 1 times the predetermined scan pulse width.

Further, when the time of applying the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y is ts, regardless of the relationship between the time of application of the data pulses applied to the plurality of address electrode groups, the time of application of the scan pulse ts and its ts The difference between application points of the closest data pulses may be the same or different in each subfield. The difference between the application time of the scan pulse and the application time of the data pulse closest to the application time of the scan pulse is 10 nanoseconds (ns) or more and 1000 nanoseconds (ns) or less, considering the time of the limited address period as described above. Is preferably set to. Further, in view of any one of the scan pulse widths in accordance with the driving of the plasma display panel, it is preferable that Δt is set within a range of 1/100 to 1 times the predetermined scan pulse width.

As described above, when the application time of the data pulses applied to the respective address electrode groups is set before and after the application of the scan pulses applied to the scan electrodes Y in the address period, the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn are shown in FIG. 8. At each application time of the data pulses applied to each address electrode group including a coupling, the coupling through the capacitance of the panel is reduced to reduce noise of a waveform applied to the scan electrode and the sustain electrode. In addition, the address discharge is stabilized by suppressing a decrease in the duration time, which is a period in which the scan pulse and the data pulse overlap.

As a result, the address discharge occurring in the address period is stabilized, thereby reducing the efficiency of driving stability of the plasma display panel. As a result, by stabilizing the address discharge of the plasma display panel, a single scan method for scanning the entire panel with one driving unit can be applied.

In the above description, the time difference between the application point of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y and the application point of the data pulse in one subfield is illustrated and described. However, the scan electrode Y is based on one frame. ) Is applied to each subfield while different times of application of the scan pulse applied to the data pulse and time of application of the data pulses applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn or the address electrode groups Xa, Xb, Xc, and Xd. Differences in the time of application between the data pulses applied to the electrodes may be set differently. The driving waveforms are as follows.

Third Embodiment

11 is a view for explaining a driving waveform according to the third embodiment of the method of driving a plasma display panel of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 11, the driving waveforms according to the third embodiment of the method for driving the plasma display panel of the present invention are all the same in time difference between the application points of the data pulses applied to the address electrodes in the same subfield. The application point of the data pulse applied to the address electrode is different from before and after the application point of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode, and is applied to the address electrode in the address period in at least one of the subfields in one frame. The time difference between application points between data pulses is different from the time difference between application points between data pulses applied to an address electrode in the address period in another subfield. For example, in one frame, in the first subfield, an address electrode is different from an application point of a scan pulse applied to the scan electrodes Y in a time point at which data pulses are applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn. The time difference between application points between data pulses applied to is set to? T. In addition, in the second subfield, the address of the data pulse applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn is different from that of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y, similarly to the first subfield. The time difference between application points between data pulses applied to the electrode is set to 2Δt. In this manner, the time difference between the application time points between the data pulses applied to the address electrodes may be different for each subfield included in one frame, such as 3Δt, 4Δt, or the like.

Alternatively, in the driving waveform according to the third embodiment of the present invention, at least one subfield is applied when the data pulse is applied to each subfield while the application pulse is applied at different times when the data pulse is applied and the scan pulse is applied. It can also be set differently before and after. For example, in the first subfield, the application point of the data pulse is set before and after the application of the scan pulse, and in the second subfield, the application point of the data pulse is set before the application point of the scan pulse. In the three subfields, the application point of the data pulse may be set after the application point of the scan pulse.

The driving waveforms according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail using regions D, E, and F of FIG. 11 as shown in FIGS. 12A through 12C.

12A to 12C are diagrams for describing a driving waveform according to a third embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 11 in more detail.

First, referring to 12a, the driving waveform according to the driving method of the present invention is an address in the region D of FIG. 11, for example, assuming that ts is a time point of applying a scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y in the first subfield. In accordance with the arrangement order of the electrodes X ₁ to Xn, a data pulse is applied to the address electrode X ₁ at a point in time ts-2Δt, which is 2Δt earlier than the point in time when the scan pulse is applied to the scan electrode Y. In addition, a data pulse is applied to the address electrode X ₂ at a time point Δt ahead of the time point at which the scan pulse is applied to the scan electrode Y, that is, the time point ts-Δt. In this way, a data pulse is applied at the time ts + Δt to the X (n-1) electrode and a data pulse is applied at the time ts + 2Δt to the Xn electrode. That is, in the first subfield, that is, in the area D of FIG. 11, the difference between the application time points between the data pulses is equal to Δt in the first subfield.

Referring to FIG. 12B, the driving waveform of the present invention is different from the application point of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y when the data pulse applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn is in the region E of FIG. 11. In addition, the difference between the application time points between the data pulses is 2Δt. That is, in the fourth subfield, that is, in the region E of FIG. 11, the difference between the application time points between the data pulses is different from the difference between the application time points between the data pulses in the first subfield, and the application between the data pulses in the fourth subfield. The difference between the viewpoints is equal to 2Δt.

Referring to FIG. 12C, the driving waveform of the present invention is different from the application point of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y when the data pulse applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn is in the region F of FIG. 11. In addition, the difference between the application time points between the data pulses is 3Δt. That is, in the sixth subfield, that is, the region F of FIG. 11, the difference between the application time points between the data pulses is different from the difference between the application time points between the data pulses in the first subfield or the fourth subfield, and also in the sixth subfield. The difference between the application points between the data pulses is equal to 3 Δt.

Thus, if differently the application time points of data pulses applied to the application time point and the address electrode (X ₁ ~ Xn) of a scan pulse applied to the scan electrode (Y) during the address period of each sub-field, the address electrodes (X ₁ ~ Xn At each time of application of the data pulses applied to the N-axis, coupling of the panel through the capacitance is reduced to reduce noise of the waveforms applied to the scan electrode and the sustain electrode. In addition, the address discharge is stabilized by suppressing a decrease in the duration time, which is a period in which the scan pulse and the data pulse overlap.

As a result, the address discharge occurring in the address period is stabilized to suppress the deterioration of the driving stability of the plasma display panel. As a result, by stabilizing the address discharge of the plasma display panel, a single scan method for scanning the entire panel with one driving unit can be applied.

As described above, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features. For example, in the above description, four electrodes are applied to all the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn at different times from when the scan pulse is applied, or four electrodes having the same number of address electrodes in the arrangement order of all the address electrodes. Although only the method of dividing into groups and applying a data pulse at a different time from when the scan pulse is applied to each electrode group is illustrated and described, the odd-numbered address electrodes among all the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn are different from each other. Set the electrode group, set the even-numbered address electrodes to the other electrode group, apply data pulses to all address electrodes in the same electrode group at the same time point, and apply scan pulses at the time of applying the data pulses of the respective electrode groups. It is also possible to set it differently from the point in time.

In addition, at least one of the plurality of electrode groups having different numbers of address electrodes may be used to classify the address electrodes X ₁ to X n so that the data pulses are applied at different time points from when the scan pulses are applied to each electrode group. You can also do it. For example, assuming that the time point of applying the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode Y is ts, a data pulse is applied to the address X ₁ electrode at the time point ts + Δt and ts + to the address electrodes X ₂ to X ₁₀ electrodes. The driving method of the plasma display panel according to the present invention can be variously modified by applying a data pulse at 3Δt and applying a data pulse at ts + 4Δt to the address electrodes X ₁₁ to Xn electrodes.

As such, the technical configuration of the present invention described above can be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention.

Therefore, the exemplary embodiments described above are to be understood as illustrative and not restrictive in all respects, and the scope of the present invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing detailed description, and the meaning and scope of the claims are as follows. And all changes or modifications derived from the equivalent concept should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

As described in detail above, the present invention adjusts the application time point of the data pulse so that the data pulse is applied to the address electrode before and after the application time of the scan pulse applied to the scan electrode in the address period, thereby providing the scan electrode and the sustain. By reducing the noise of the waveform applied to the electrode to stabilize the address discharge, the driving of the panel is stabilized and the reduction of the driving stability is suppressed, thereby increasing the driving efficiency.

Claims (12)

By a combination of at least one subfield in which a predetermined pulse is applied to the address electrodes X ₁ to Xn (n is a positive integer), the scan electrode and the sustain electrode in the reset period, the address period and the sustain period, In the driving method of a plasma display panel which expresses the image which consists of frames, The address electrode is divided into a plurality of address electrode groups, and data pulses are respectively applied to at least one address electrode before and after an application point of a scan pulse applied to the scan electrode in the address period. A method of driving a plasma display panel. The method of claim 1, The number of address electrodes to which a data pulse is applied before the time of applying the scan pulse and the number of address electrodes to which a data pulse is applied after the time of applying the scan pulse are the same. . The method of claim 1, And the number of the address electrode groups is two or more and less than the total number of the address electrodes. The method of claim 3, wherein And the address electrode group comprises one or more of the address electrodes. The method of claim 4, wherein And the address electrode groups all include the same number of address electrodes or one or more different number of address electrodes. The method of claim 1, And applying the data pulses to all the address electrodes included in the address electrode group at the same time point. The method of claim 1, And a difference between the application point of the scan pulse and the application point of the data pulse closest to the application point of the scan pulse in the subfield is different. The method of claim 7, wherein And a difference between the application time of the scan pulse and the application time of the data pulse closest to the application time of the scan pulse in the subfield is 10 ns or more and 1000 ns or less. The method of claim 7, wherein The difference between the application time of the scan pulse and the application time of the data pulse closest to the application time of the scan pulse in the subfield has a value of 1/100 times or more than 1 times the predetermined scan pulse width. Driving method of plasma display panel. The method of claim 1, At least one data pulse of the data pulses is different from at least one of the remaining data pulses and an application time point is different, and a difference between an application time point of two data pulses applied at different time points is different. Way. The method of claim 10, The difference between the application time points between the two data pulses applied at different time points is 10 ns or more and 1000 ns or less. The method of claim 10, The difference between the application time points between the two data pulses applied at different time points has a value of 1/100 times or more than 1 time of the predetermined scan pulse width.

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