KR19990072402A - Plasma display panel and driving method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plasma display panel (PDP) and a driving method thereof in which one row electrode is involved in discharge of two row cell groups adjacent in a column direction in a plurality of cells in which row and column electrodes are arranged orthogonal to each other.

In the PDP according to the present invention, a plurality of row and column electrodes are arranged orthogonally to each other between two substrates coupled in parallel to each other to constitute a plurality of cells; The row electrode includes a transparent electrode having a plurality of protrusions formed while alternately moving up and down in a predetermined length when moving along the row axis at any point on the row axis, and an opaque electrode formed below the row axis of the transparent electrode; The column electrodes are arranged on the column axis of the protrusions while being perpendicular to the row electrodes when joining the two substrates; Any row electrode participates in the discharge of two adjacent column cell groups in interaction with two other row electrodes adjacent in the column direction.

As a result, the aperture ratio of the unit cell is increased to improve luminance characteristics and luminous efficiency, and the number of row electrodes is greatly reduced, thereby simplifying the panel structure.

Description

Plasma display panel and driving method thereof

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plasma display panel (hereinafter, abbreviated as " PDP ") and an electrode control method thereof, and more particularly, to one row in a plurality of cells in which row and column electrodes are arranged orthogonal to each other. The electrodes are involved in the discharge of the two row cell groups adjacent in the column direction so that the improvement of the luminance characteristic and the simplification of the structure are compatible.

As is well known, a PDP is a flat display device that displays moving or stationary images by using a gas discharge phenomenon, and the entire screen is divided into a plurality of cells by row and column electrodes arranged on upper and lower glass substrates. An image is displayed on the panel by the discharge selectively occurring inside.

As a representative example according to the prior art of such a PDP, a three-electrode surface discharge alternating current (AC) PDP is shown in FIGS. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the upper and lower substrates, FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the upper substrate, and FIG. 3 is an electrode layout view.

The conventional three-electrode surface discharge alternating current PDP shown in the drawing is an upper substrate 10 which is a display surface of an image, and a lower substrate 20 which is coupled in parallel with a predetermined distance from the upper substrate 10. Is done.

The upper substrate 10 is formed on the opposite surface of the lower substrate 20 to form a pair of row electrodes 30 (hereinafter, "scan electrode 31" and "sustain electrode 32") which separate the cells in the column direction. A dielectric layer 40 formed to surround the row electrode 30 to limit the discharge current, and a protection formed under the dielectric layer 40 to protect the row electrode 30. Layer 50.

Each of the scan electrode 31 and the sustain electrode 32 is made of indium-tin oxide (ITO) transparent electrodes 31a and 32a having a width of about 300 μm, and a metal having a width of about 50 to 100 μm ( Metal) and opaque electrodes 31b and 32b.

The lower substrate 20 includes a partition wall 60 that separates cells in a row direction to form a discharge space, and column electrodes 70 formed to be orthogonal to the row electrode 30 between the partition walls 60 (hereinafter, Symmetrical to an "address electrode" and a phosphor layer 80 formed to surround the address electrode 70 on both side partition surfaces and the lower substrate surface of the inner surface of the discharge space to emit visible light during discharge. It is composed.

The PDP configured as described above excites phosphors to ultraviolet rays generated at the time of discharge between electrodes to generate visible light. This discharge principle will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

4 and 5 illustrate a driving waveform applied to each electrode and a process of wall charge of the corresponding cell according to the driving waveform.

PDP is difficult to adjust the intensity of the discharge, so that the gray level of the pixel is realized by adjusting the number of discharges per unit time, and one pixel is composed of three discharge cells of red (R), green (G), and blue (B). Is done. For example, in the case of 256 gray levels, when the number of discharges of each discharge cell is divided into 0 to 255 times in every frame, the brightness varies depending on the number of discharges, thereby implementing 256 gray levels.

Incidentally, the types of discharges selectively generated inside each cell include an address discharge for designating a pixel, a sustain discharge for holding the discharge of the discharge cell, and an erase discharge for stopping the discharge cell.

Here, the wall charges previously not present in the discharge space due to the address discharge induced between the address electrode 70 and the scan electrode 31 and the sustain electrode 32 are adjacent to the scan electrode 31 and the sustain electrode 32. The wall charge is formed at 40, and the wall charge is maintained by the sustain discharge caused between the scan electrode 31 and the sustain electrode 32.

For example, when the driving waveform shown in FIG. 4 is applied to each of the electrodes 31, 32, and 70, the progress state of the wall charges in the sections (a) to (h) is shown in (a) to (h) shown in FIG. Appears as a status.

Prior to the state (a) of FIG. 5, wall charges do not exist in the discharge cell. When an address pulse Va and a light pulse Vw are applied to the address electrode 70 and the scan electrode 31 in the section (a) of FIG. 4, an address discharge is caused between the two electrodes 70 and 31. After the address discharge, wall charges are formed in the cell in the section (b).

At this time, most of the wall charges are formed in the scan electrode 31 and the sustain electrode 32, the light pulse (Vw) has a width of usually 2㎲ or more, which is enough time to form the wall charge.

In addition, when sustain pulse Vs is applied to the scan electrode 31 and the sustain electrode 32 in the section (c), the sustain discharge is induced between the two electrodes 31 and 32, and after the initial sustain discharge, the section (d) The wall charge of is reversed to the wall charge in section (b).

In this case, the difference in the sustain voltage at each electrode 70, 31, and 32 may use a voltage lower than the difference in the write voltage between the address electrode 70 and the scan electrode 31. This is because of wall charges formed in the dielectric layer 40, and sustain discharge does not occur in cells in which wall charges are not formed.

Then, the sections (e) and (f) represent sustain discharges by the sustain pulses (Vs), where the wall charges after the sustain discharges are opposite to the wall charges in the section (d).

Therefore, one sustain period is from section (c) to section (f), and the number of discharges is two times during one sustain period.

The erase discharge is generated in the section (g) by the erase pulse Ve. The erase pulse Ve has a width of 1 m or less, and the pulse level (voltage) is also the level (voltage) of the sustain pulse Vs. Lower than) This erasing pulse Ve causes discharge between the scan electrode 31 and the sustain electrode 32, but there is no time to form wall charge, and thus the cell has no wall charge in the section (h). Discharge does not occur even when (Vs) is added.

Following the discharge process, ultraviolet rays are generated as the discharge gas injected into the discharge space of the cell is ionized by electrons and ions, and the phosphor layer 80 is excited by the ultraviolet rays to emit visible light, and then visible light. When the light is emitted to the outside through the pair of row electrodes 30, that is, between the scan electrode 31 and the sustain electrode 32, the external display recognizes an image display by light emission of the corresponding cell.

Meanwhile, in the image display process as described above, the luminance characteristic and the luminous efficiency are determined according to the amount of visible light emitted to the outside, and the amount of the emitted light is determined by various factors.

In particular, under other conditions including the light emission characteristics of the phosphor, it is determined by the aperture ratio of the cell, that is, the separation distance between the scan electrode 31 and the sustain electrode 32. The influence of the transparent electrodes 31a and 32a is very small. Therefore, it can be said that it is determined by the separation distance r between the adjacent opaque electrodes 31b and 32b in the unit cell, and the larger the separation distance (opening ratio), the more improved the luminance characteristic and the luminous efficiency appear.

In the above-described panel structure of the related art and the accompanying driving method, the cells are divided in the column direction by paired row electrodes, that is, paired scan electrodes 31 and sustain electrodes 32, and emit light. It can be seen that the sustain discharge caused between the pair of row electrodes 30 arranged in the corresponding cell is essentially required for maintaining.

Therefore, due to the structural characteristics, the separation distance r of the opaque electrodes 31b and 32b is limited by the maximum distance between the scan electrode 31 and the sustain electrode 32 arranged in each cell. There is a problem in that a range in which luminance characteristics and luminous efficiency can be improved by increasing the separation distance r of adjacent opaque electrodes 31b and 32b is increased.

Accordingly, the present invention proposes to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, wherein the cell is divided in the column direction by one row electrode and the structure is improved so that the row electrode is involved in the discharge of two adjacent cells; By providing the driving method

Firstly, the separation distance of the adjacent opaque electrodes, that is, the aperture ratio of the cells is increased significantly, thereby improving luminance characteristics and luminous efficiency.

Secondly, its purpose is to simplify the structure of the panel by drastically reducing the number of row electrodes (transparent electrodes and opaque electrodes).

1 is an exploded perspective view of an upper and lower substrate of a conventional plasma display panel (PDP).

2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the upper substrate shown in FIG.

3 is a layout view of electrodes of a PDP according to the prior art,

4 is a driving waveform diagram applied to each electrode according to the prior art;

5 is a wall charge progress state diagram of a corresponding cell according to the driving waveform shown in FIG. 4;

6 is a partial cross-sectional view of an upper substrate of a PDP having a structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a layout view of electrodes of a PDP having an upper substrate shown in FIG. 6;

8 is a driving waveform diagram applied to each electrode according to the present invention,

9 is a wall charge progress state diagram of a corresponding cell according to the driving waveform shown in FIG. 8;

10 is a layout view of phosphors applied to the inside of each cell according to the present invention;

11 is a layout view of electrodes of a PDP having a structure according to another embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

10: upper substrate, 20: lower substrate, 101: row electrode, 101a: transparent electrode, 101b and 201b: opaque electrode, 102: column electrode, 103: unit pixel, r ': separation distance between opaque electrodes

In order to achieve these objects, a PDP provided according to an aspect of the present invention includes a plasma display panel in which a plurality of row and column electrodes are arranged orthogonally to each other between two substrates coupled in parallel to each other to form a plurality of cells. In:

(1) The row electrode includes a transparent electrode having a plurality of protrusions formed while alternately moving up and down by a predetermined length when moving along the row axis at any point on the row axis, and an opaque electrode formed below the row axis of the transparent electrode. Done;

(2) the column electrodes are disposed on the column axis of the protrusions while being perpendicular to the row electrodes when the two substrates are joined;

(3) Any of the above row electrodes is characterized by being involved in the discharge of two adjacent column cell groups by interaction with two other row electrodes adjacent in the column direction.

Preferably, the predetermined length is characterized in that the length of the unit cell approximately.

Preferably, the two row electrodes adjacent in the column direction among the row electrodes may be formed in parallel in the column direction while the protrusions are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

Optionally, the opaque electrode is characterized in that the indentation in the column direction is formed in the direction and the position where the pole portion of the transparent electrode is disposed.

Optionally, the opaque electrode is characterized in that the protrusion in the column direction is formed in the opposite direction in which the indentation is located.

On the other hand, the PDP having the above structure displays an image in each cell by the driving method provided as follows according to another aspect of the present invention.

In the method of driving a PDP according to the present invention, a plurality of row and column electrodes are arranged orthogonally to each other between two substrates coupled in parallel to each other, and the plurality of row electrodes are adjacent to each other in a column direction. A method of driving a plasma display panel involved in the discharge of two adjacent column cell groups in interaction with two other row electrodes:

(1) an address discharge is induced between the column electrode and the row electrode by a scan voltage applied between the column electrode and the row electrode corresponding to an arbitrary discharge cell;

(2) sustain discharge is induced between the row electrode and another row electrode adjacent to the row electrode by a sustain voltage applied to the row electrode;

(3) The sustain discharge is generated again between the row electrode and the other row electrode by the sustain voltage applied to the other row electrode.

Preferably, the discharge start voltage of the discharge cell is higher than the sum of the wall voltage caused by the address discharge and the scan voltage applied to the neighboring cells.

Preferably, the discharge start voltage of the discharge cell is lower than the sum of the wall voltage caused by the address discharge and the sustain voltage applied to the row electrode adjacent thereto.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Incidentally, in the present invention, the same components as in the prior art are denoted by the same reference numerals and may not be described.

6 is a cross-sectional view of a part of an upper substrate of a PDP having a structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is an electrode layout view.

In the PDP of the present invention shown in the drawing, when moving along the row axis at any point on the row axis, the transparent electrode 101a of ITO material having a plurality of protrusions formed while alternately moving up and down in the length of the unit cell approximately; A plurality of row electrodes 101 (Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4, ...) made of a metal opaque electrode 101b formed under the row axis of the transparent electrode 101a are adjacent to the row electrode Y1. And Y2, Y2 and Y3, Y3 and Y4, ... are formed on opposite surfaces of the lower substrate 20 of the upper substrate 10 so as to be arranged in parallel in the column direction while being spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. Separate cells with; The plurality of column electrodes 102 (X1, X2, X3, X4, ...) are arranged at the lower portion of the upper substrate 10 and the lower substrate 20 so as to be disposed on the column axis of the protrusion while being perpendicular to the row electrode 101. It is formed on the surface opposite to the upper substrate 10 of the substrate 20 to distinguish the cells in the row direction.

In the PDP according to the present invention configured as described above, any row electrode Y2 is involved in the discharge of two row cell groups adjacent in the column direction by interaction with two other row electrodes Y1 and Y3 adjacent in the column direction. In the discharge process, when the driving waveforms shown in FIG. 8 are applied to each of the electrodes 101 and 102, the progress of wall charges in the sections (a) to (f) is shown in FIGS. Is displayed.

Prior to the state (a) of FIG. 8, wall charges do not exist in the discharge cells. When the address pulse Va and the light pulse Vw are applied to the column electrode X1 and the row electrode Y1 in the section (a) of FIG. 7, the address discharge is induced between the two electrodes X1 and Y1. After the address discharge, wall charges are formed in the cell in the section (b).

At this time, most of the wall charges are formed in the row electrode Y1 and the other row electrode Y2 adjacent to the row electrode Y1. That is, positive wall charges are formed on the row electrode Y1, and negative wall charges are formed on the row electrode Y2.

In this way, when the address pulse Va and the light pulse Vw are applied to the column electrode X2 and the row electrode Y2 in the section (c) with the wall charges formed, the address is formed between the two electrodes X2 and Y2. A discharge is caused, and after this address discharge, wall charges are also formed inside the corresponding cell.

Here, cells adjacent to each other in the column direction, that is, the column electrodes X1 and the row electrodes Y1 and Y2 cross each other by a scan voltage Va + Vw applied between the column electrode X2 and the row electrode Y2. The cell must not be affected.

Therefore, the sum of the wall voltage caused by the wall charge and the scan voltage Va + Vw applied to the neighboring cells as shown in FIG. 9B is lower than the discharge start voltage of the corresponding cell. In the section where the column electrode X1 and the row electrodes Y1 and Y2 cross each other, the wall charge is maintained in the state (c) of FIG. 9.

When the sustain pulse Vs is applied to the row electrodes Y1 and Y3 in the section (d), the sum of the sustain voltage Vs and the wall voltage across the two adjacent row electrodes Y1 and Y2 in the column direction is discharged. Since the discharge voltage is higher than the starting voltage, a sustain discharge is caused between the two row electrodes Y1 and Y2. After the initial sustain discharge, the wall charge in the (e) section is reversed from the wall charge in the (c) section.

Next, when the sustain pulse Vs is applied to the row electrodes Y2 and Y4 in the section (f), the sum of the sustain voltage Vs and the wall voltage across the row electrodes Y1 and Y2 is higher than the discharge start voltage. Sustain discharge is again induced between the two row electrodes Y1 and Y2, and then reversed to the wall charge in the section (e).

On the other hand, when comparing the electrode arrangement of the PDP according to the prior art shown in FIG. 2 and the PDP according to the present invention shown in FIG. 6, as a result, the row electrodes are conventionally arranged in the center of the unit cell. Row electrodes are arranged at both edges of the cell, that is, at the boundary of the cell.

Therefore, due to the structural characteristics, the unit cell according to the present invention is relatively limited in the separation distance r 'between neighboring opaque electrodes 101b as compared with the prior art. That is, as compared with FIGS. 2 and 6, as the separation distance r 'of the present invention, that is, the aperture ratio is much larger than the conventional separation distance r, the emission amount of visible light is increased, thereby improving luminance characteristics and luminous efficiency. .

In addition, red (R), green (G), and blue (B) phosphors applied to the inside of each cell are formed in a substantially triangular structure with each unit pixel 103 as shown in FIG. It is most preferable to apply so as not to.

On the other hand, the PDP of the present invention formed in the structure described above can be modified to other embodiments without departing from the basic shape. For example, FIG. 11 is a layout view of electrodes of a PDP having a structure according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In the PDP illustrated in FIG. 7, the shape of the opaque electrode is deformed in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 7, and thus the opaque electrode 201b has a direction and a position where the protrusions of the transparent electrode 101a are arranged. The indentation part of a column direction is formed in the column, and the protrusion part of a column direction is formed in the direction opposite this position.

As a result, the separation distance of the adjacent opaque electrodes 201b, that is, the aperture ratio of the unit cell, is further increased by the indentation to further improve luminance characteristics and luminous efficiency. The resistance of the opaque electrode 201b is prevented from increasing.

As described above, the present invention has the effect that the aperture ratio of the unit cell is increased to improve luminance characteristics and luminous efficiency, and the required number of row electrodes is greatly reduced, thereby simplifying the panel structure.

Claims (8)

In a plasma display panel in which a plurality of row and column electrodes are arranged orthogonally to each other between two substrates bonded in parallel to each other, to form a plurality of cells: (1) The row electrode includes a transparent electrode having a plurality of protrusions formed while alternately moving up and down by a predetermined length when moving along the row axis at any point on the row axis, and an opaque electrode formed below the row axis of the transparent electrode. Done; (2) the column electrodes are disposed on the column axis of the protrusions while being perpendicular to the row electrodes when the two substrates are joined; (3) The plasma display panel, wherein any of the row electrodes is involved in the discharge of two adjacent column cell groups by interaction with two other row electrodes adjacent in the column direction. The method of claim 1, And said predetermined length is approximately the length of a unit cell. The method of claim 1, And two row electrodes adjacent in the column direction among the row electrodes are formed in parallel in the column direction while the protrusions are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. The method of claim 1, The opaque electrode is a plasma display panel, characterized in that the indentation in the column direction is formed in the direction and the position where the protrusions of the transparent electrode are arranged. The method of claim 4, wherein The opaque electrode is a plasma display panel, characterized in that the projection in the column direction formed in the opposite direction in which the rush portion is located. A plurality of row and column electrodes are arranged orthogonally to each other between two substrates joined in parallel to each other to form a plurality of cells, and the row electrodes are adjacent to each other by interaction with two other row electrodes adjacent in the column direction. A method of driving a plasma display panel involved in the discharge of two column cell groups: (1) an address discharge is induced between the column electrode and the row electrode by a scan voltage applied between the column electrode and the row electrode corresponding to an arbitrary discharge cell; (2) sustain discharge is induced between the row electrode and another row electrode adjacent to the row electrode by a sustain voltage applied to the row electrode; (3) A method for driving a plasma display panel, wherein a sustain discharge is caused again between the row electrode and the other row electrode by the sustain voltage applied to the other row electrode. The method of claim 6, And a discharge start voltage of the discharge cell is higher than a sum of a wall voltage caused by the address discharge and the scan voltage applied to a neighboring cell. The method of claim 6, And a discharge start voltage of the discharge cell is lower than a sum of a wall voltage caused by the address discharge and a sustain voltage applied to the row electrode adjacent to the wall discharge.