Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Plural physical display element control system – Display elements arranged in matrix
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-21
2004-01-27
Wu, Xiao (Department: 2674)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Plural physical display element control system
Display elements arranged in matrix
C345S211000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06683588
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a plasma display panel, and more particularly to a plasma display panel that is adapted to be driven by a low voltage signal.
2. Background of the Related Art
Recently, it has been possible to manufacture a plasma display panel (PDP) of a large-dimension panel. Such a PDP has a number of discharge cells arranged in a matrix. The discharge cells are provided at each of intersections between sustain electrode lines for sustaining a discharge and address electrode lines for selecting a cell to be discharged.
The PDP is largely classified into a direct current (DC) type panel and an alternating current (AC) type panel depending on whether or not a dielectric layer for accumulating a wall charge exists in the discharge cell. The PDP requires a high voltage of hundreds of volts to cause a glow discharge. To this end, a driving circuit of the PDP includes high voltage devices for generating a high voltage signal of hundreds of volts. For instance, the triple-electrode AC PDP is driven with a high voltage of about 200 to 300V.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, each cell of the triple-electrode AC PDP includes a front substrate
10
provided with row sustain electrodes pair
12
A and
12
B, and a rear substrate
18
provided with column address electrodes
20
. The front substrate
10
and the rear substrate
18
are spaced in parallel to each other with having barrier ribs
24
therebetween. A mixture of gases, such as Ne-Xe or He-Xe, etc., is injected into a discharge space defined by the front substrate
10
, the rear substrate
18
and the barrier ribs
24
.
Any one electrode of the sustain electrode pair
12
A and
12
B is used as a scan/sustain electrode that responds to a scanning pulse applied in an address interval to cause an matrix discharge along with the address electrode
4
while responding to a sustaining pulse applied in a sustaining interval to cause a surface discharge along with the other adjacent sustain electrode. Also, one of the sustain electrode pair
12
A or
12
B is used as the scan/sustain electrode and the other is used as a common sustain electrode to which a sustaining pulse is applied commonly.
On the front substrate
10
provided with the sustain electrodes
12
A and
12
B, a dielectric layer
14
and a protective layer
16
are disposed. The dielectric layer
14
is responsible for limiting a plasma discharge current as well as accumulating a wall charge during the discharge. The protective layer
16
prevents damage of the dielectric layer
14
caused by the sputtering generated during the plasma discharge and improves the emission efficiency of secondary electrons. This protective layer
16
is usually made of magnesium oxide (MgO).
The rear substrate
18
is provided with a dielectric layer
26
covering the address electrodes
24
. The barrier ribs
24
for dividing the discharge space extend perpendicularly at the rear substrate
18
. A fluorescent material
22
, excited by a vacuum ultraviolet lay to generate a visible light, is coated between the barrier ribs on the rear substrate.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, the cells
1
of the PDP are arranged on a panel
30
in a matrix. In each cell
1
, scan/sustain electrode lines S
1
to Sm, common sustain electrode lines C
1
to Cm and address electrode lines D
1
to Dn cross each other. The scan/sustain electrode lines S
1
to Sm and the common sustain electrodes C
1
to Cm comprise the sustain electrodes pair
12
A and
12
B in
FIG. 1
, respectively. The address electrode lines D
1
to Dn comprise the address electrodes
20
.
Such a triple-electrode AC PDP selects a cell to be displayed by a matrix discharge between the address electrode
20
and any one of the sustain electrodes
12
A and
12
B and thereafter sustains a discharge by a surface discharge between the sustain electrodes
12
A and
12
B. An ultraviolet generated by a sustaining discharge excites the fluorescent material
22
.
At this time, a voltage required for a discharge is different depending on a distance between the electrodes and a wall charge amount accumulated in the dielectric layers
14
and
26
, but it must be a high voltage of about 200 to 300V. To this end, the PDP driving apparatus requires a high voltage driving integrated circuit (IC). The high voltage signal generated from the high voltage driving IC is applied to a panel electrode comprising the sustain electrode pair
12
A and
12
B and the address electrode
20
. The high voltage driving IC is mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) connected to the panel
30
.
As shown in
FIG. 3
, the high voltage driving IC includes a plurality of sets of a high voltage switch
42
supplied with a high-level voltage VDD and a low-level voltage VSS (or the ground GND), and a logic unit
40
for controlling the high voltage switch
42
. The high voltage switch
42
includes a p-channel MOS FET T
1
and an n-channel MOS FET T
2
connected in a push-pull configuration. The high voltage switch selects any one of the high-level voltages under control of the logic unit
40
and applies it to a panel electrode
50
. The panel electrode
50
corresponds to the sustain electrode pair
12
A and
12
B or the address electrode
20
and is provided on the panel
30
.
The logic unit
40
responds to a logic input signal Lin to generate a low logic control signal. Then, since the p-channel MOS FET T
1
is turned on, the high-level voltage VDD is applied, via a first voltage input line
31
and an output line
33
, to the panel electrode
50
. On the other hand, if a high logic control signal is generated from the logic unit
40
, then the n-channel MOS FET T
2
is turned on to apply the low-level voltage VSS, via a second voltage input line
32
and the output line
33
, to the panel electrode
50
.
Since the logic unit
40
and the high voltage switch
42
are connected, in series, to the panel electrode
50
, their number is determined by the number of the panel electrode
50
. In the case of a panel having a resolution of VGA class, the total number of address lines D
1
to Dn supplied with red, green and blue data is 1920 (3×640). In this case, if the number of the output pin of each set of high voltage driving IC is
64
, then
30
high voltage driving IC's are required to drive the address electrode lines D
1
to Dn. Accordingly, as a resolution of the panel
30
increases to an SXGA class or more, a larger number of high voltage driving IC's are required. Since the high voltage driving IC is more expensive than the general low voltage driving IC, however, the cost of the PDP increases.
Moreover, since a larger number of high voltage driving IC's are required as a resolution of the panel
30
is improved into an SXGA class or more, the manufacturing cost of the PDP increases greatly. Further, the complexity of manufacturing process increases. Such problems are generated in the case of the triple-electrode AC PDP as well as in the case of a DC-type PDP causing a discharge by a DC voltage signal of more than hundreds of volts (V).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to solve at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described hereinafter.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to drive a plasma display panel with low voltage signals.
Another object of the invention is to reduce at least one of PDP cost, manufacturing cost, and manufacturing complexity.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a low voltage driving apparatus and method for a plasma display panel wherein a driving circuit are implemented with low voltage devices to drive the plasma display panel with low voltage signals.
In order to achieve these and other objects of the invention, a plasma display panel according to one aspect of the present invention includes a source electrode supplied with a voltage; and a trigger electrode opposite to the source electrode, whereby a discharge being generated between source electrode and trigger electrode to app
Chung Moon Shick
Jung Yun Kwon
Kang Bong Koo
Kim Young Hwan
Lee Nam Kyu
Fleshner & Kim LLP
LG Electronics Inc.
Wu Xiao
LandOfFree
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