METHOD OF DRIVING PLASMA DISPLAY PANEL
This plasma display panel driving method greatly enhances the discharge probability of address discharge without increasing an address period. A unit display period of an input video signal is divided into a plurality of subfields. The address stage in one subfield of each unit display period induces normal address discharge in one discharge cell and also induces forced address discharge in another discharge cell adjacent to said one discharge cell in the column direction of the screen upon application of a pixel data pulse for said one discharge cell. To this end, the address stage applies a scanning pulse to each of row electrodes to be scanned consecutively in an overlapping manner for a predetermined period.
1 . A method of driving a plasma display panel in a plurality of subfields for each unit display period of an input video signal, thereby to perform a gradation display, the plasma display panel having a plurality of row electrode pairs extending in a row direction of the plasma display panel, a plurality of column electrodes extending in a column direction of the plasma display panel and crisscrossing the row electrode pairs, and a plurality of discharge cells defined at intersections of said row electrode pairs and column electrodes, each said row electrode pair serving as each display line of the plasma display panel, and said discharge cells serving as pixels, the driving method comprising, in each said subfield:
an address stage of sequentially applying a scanning pulse to one row electrode in each said row electrode pair at a predetermined scanning period, and applying to said column electrodes, a pixel data pulse responsible for each pixel in accordance with said input video signal for every said scanning period, thereby inducing address discharge in said discharge cells so as to bring each of said discharge cells into a lighting mode or unlighting mode; and
a sustain stage of repeatedly inducing discharge in only those said discharge cells which are brought into said lighting mode, for a period corresponding to a luminance weight allotted to the subfield concerned, wherein in said address stage in at least one of said subfields of said unit display period, said scanning pulses are sequentially applied to a first row electrode to which one discharge cell belongs and to a second row electrode belonging to a display line adjacent to the first row electrode in the column direction in an overlapping manner for a predetermined period, so that said address discharge is generated in said one discharge cell and also in another discharge cell scanned immediately before said one discharge cell upon application of said pixel data pulse for said one discharge cell.
2 . The plasma display panel driving method according to claim 1 , wherein said subfields of said unit display period are allotted luminance weights respectively such that said luminance weight becomes greater in an ascending order from a first subfield to a last subfield, and said one subfield is allotted a luminance weight smaller than a predetermined luminance weight.
3 . The plasma display panel driving method according to claim 2 , wherein said one subfield is said first subfield.
4 . The plasma display panel driving method according to claim 1 , wherein said predetermined period is longer than a minimum discharge delay in said discharge cell.
5 . The plasma display panel driving method according to claim 1 , wherein a pulse width of said scanning pulse is approximately twice a pulse width of said pixel data pulse.
6 . A method of driving a plasma display panel in a plurality of subfields for each unit display period of an input video signal, thereby to perform a gradation display, the plasma display panel having a plurality of row electrode pairs extending in a row direction of the plasma display panel, a plurality of column electrodes extending in a column direction of the plasma display panel and crisscrossing the row electrode pairs, and a plurality of discharge cells defined at intersections of said row electrode pairs and column electrodes, each said row electrode pair serving as each display line of the plasma display panel, and said discharge cells serving as pixels, the driving method comprising, in each said subfield:
an address stage of sequentially applying a scanning pulse to one row electrode in each said row electrode pair at a predetermined scanning period, and applying to said column electrodes, a pixel data pulse responsible for each pixel in accordance with said input video signal for every said scanning period, thereby inducing address discharge in said discharge cells so as to bring each of said discharge cells into a lighting mode or unlighting mode; and
a sustain stage of repeatedly inducing discharge in only those of said discharge cells which are brought into said lighting mode, for a period corresponding to a luminance weight allotted to the subfield concerned, wherein in said address stage in at least one of said subfields of said unit display period, said scanning pulses are sequentially applied to each of the row electrodes of first, second and third discharge cells adjacent to each other in the column direction in an overlapping manner for a predetermined period and a pulse width of said pixel data pulse is increased by an amount equivalent to said predetermined period, so that said address discharge is generated in the first, second and third discharge cells upon application of said pixel data pulse for said second discharge cell.
7 . The plasma display panel driving method according to claim 6 , wherein said subfields of said unit display period are allotted luminance weights respectively such that said luminance weight becomes greater in an ascending order from a first subfield to a last subfield, and said one subfield is allotted a luminance weight smaller than a predetermined luminance weight.
8 . The plasma display panel driving method according to claim 7 , wherein said one subfield is said first subfield.
9 . The plasma display panel driving method according to claim 6 , wherein said predetermined period is longer than a minimum discharge delay in said discharge cell.
5 . The plasma display panel driving method according to claim 1 , wherein a pulse width of said scanning pulse is approximately twice a pulse width of said pixel data pulse.
10 . The plasma display panel driving method according to claim 6 , wherein a pulse width of said scanning pulse is the same as a pulse width of said pixel data pulse.