Electric lamp and discharge devices – With gas or vapor – Three or more electrode discharge device
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-17
2004-03-02
Patel, Vip (Department: 2879)
Electric lamp and discharge devices
With gas or vapor
Three or more electrode discharge device
C313S584000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06700323
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a surface discharge-scheme alternating current-type plasma display panel and, more particularly, to a panel structure for causing a selective discharge in an addressing period.
The present application claims priority from Japanese Application No. 2001-198426, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent time, a surface discharge-scheme alternating current-type plasma display panel which has been developed as a slim, large sized color screen display has become commonly used in ordinary household.
FIG. 10
is a schematic plan view of a conventional cell structure of the surface discharge-scheme alternating current-type plasma display panel.
FIG. 11
is a sectional view taken along the V—V line of FIG.
10
.
FIG. 12
is a sectional view taken along the W—W line of FIG.
10
.
In
FIGS. 10
to
12
, the plasma display panel (hereinafter referred to as “PDP”) includes a front glass substrate
1
, serving as the display surface of the PDP, having on its back surface, in order, a plurality of row electrode pairs (X′, Y′), a dielectric layer
2
covering the row electrode pairs (X′, Y′), and a protective layer
3
made of MgO and covering the back surfaces of the dielectric layer
2
.
The row electrode X′ and the row electrode Y′ of each row electrode pair (X′, Y′) are respectively constructed of transparent electrodes Xa′, Ya′ each of which is formed of a transparent conductive film of a larger width made of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) or the like, and bus electrodes Xb″, Yb′ each of which is formed of a metal film of a smaller width compensating for electrical conductivity of the corresponding transparent electrode.
The row electrodes X′ and Y′ are arranged in alternate positions in the column direction so that the electrodes X′ and Y′ of each pair (X′, Y′) face each other with a discharge gap g′ between. Each of the row electrode pairs (X′, Y′) forms each display line (row) L in the matrix display.
The front glass substrate
1
is situated opposite a back glass substrate
4
. A discharge space S′ filled with a discharge gas is interposed between the substrates
1
and
4
. The back glass substrate
4
is provided with a plurality of column electrodes D′ which are arranged parallel to each other and each extend in a direction at right angles to the row electrode pair (X, Y) (the column direction), band-shaped partition walls
5
each extending in parallel to and between the two column electrodes D′, and phosphor layers
6
provided for emitting the primary colors red (R), green (G), and blue (B), each of which covers the side faces of adjacent partition walls
5
and the column electrode D′.
In each display line L, the partition walls
5
partition the discharge space S′ into areas each corresponding to an intersection of the column electrode D′ and the row electrode pair (X′, Y′), to define discharge cells (unit light emitting areas) C′.
Such surface discharge-scheme alternative current PDP displays images through the following procedure.
First, in the addressing period, an operation pulse is applied to any one (assumed as the row electrode Y′ in this case) of the row electrode pair (X′, Y′), and a data pulse is applied to the column electrode D′, to selectively cause discharge between the row electrode Y′ and the column electrode D′.
As a result, lighted cells (the discharge cell C′ in which the wall charge is formed on the dielectric layer
2
) and non-lighted cells (the discharge cell C′ in which the wall charge is not formed on the dielectric layer
2
) are distributed over the panel surface in accordance with an image subject to be displayed.
After completion of the addressing period, a discharge sustaining pulse is simultaneously applied alternately to the row electrode pair (X′, Y′) in all the display lines. In each application of the discharge sustaining pulse, a surface discharge (sustaining discharge) is caused in each lighted cell.
In this way, the surface discharge generates ultraviolet light in the lighted cells. The generated ultraviolet light excites the phosphor layer
6
in each lighted cell to thereby emit light of the three primary colors red (R), green (G) and blue (B) for forming a display image.
However, such a conventional display panel has a problem of reduced yields of the lighted cells (or non-lighted cells) resulting from the selective discharge because the selective discharge in the addressing period is caused in the discharge cell C′ over an entire face of a part, overlaying the column electrode D′ when viewed from the front glass substrate
1
, of one of the row electrode pair (the row electrode Y′ assumed in this case). Hence, a discharge area is disadvantageously increased to make the selective discharge unstable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to solve the problem associated with the surface discharge-scheme alternating current-type plasma display panel as described above.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a plasma display panel capable of producing stable selective discharge to generate high quality images.
To attain the above object, according to a first feature of the present invention, a plasma display panel includes: a front substrate; a back substrate placed opposite to the front substrate to define a discharge space between the front and back substrates; a plurality of row electrode pairs extending in a row direction and arranged in a column direction on a back surface of the front substrate to respectively form display lines; and a plurality of column electrodes arranged in the row direction on a surface, facing toward the front substrate, of the back substrate, and extending in the column direction to intersect the row electrode pairs and form unit light emitting areas in the discharge space at the respective intersections, which comprises: a leading member provided in each paired row electrodes of the row electrode pairs and facing each other with a discharge gap there-between in each unit light emitting area; and an enlargement member provided in the column electrode at a position opposite to at least one of leading members of the paired row electrodes in each unit light emitting area, and having a width in the row direction larger than a width of portion of the column electrode opposite to the row electrode except for the leading member opposite to the enlargement member.
In the plasma display panel according to the first feature, in an addressing period when an image is generated on a panel screen on the basis of an image signal, an operation pulse is applied to one row electrode of each row electrode pair and a data pulse is applied to the column electrode. Then, in each unit light emitting area in which the row electrode applied with the operation pulse intersects the column electrode applied with the data pulse, a selective discharge is caused between the row electrode and the column electrode. As a result, lighted cells and non-lighted cells are distributed over the panel surface in accordance with an image to be displayed.
In this addressing period, due to the enlargement member provided in the column electrode, an opposite area of the column electrode to the leading member of the row electrode between which the selective discharge is caused, is significantly enlarged more than an opposite area of the column electrode to the row electrode except for the leading member. Accordingly, the selective discharge is caused concentratedly between the leading member of the row electrode and the enlargement member of the column electrode, which are opposite to each other.
With the first feature, it is possible to prevent the discharge property instability which results from exte
Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn
Patel Vip
Pioneer Corporation
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