Plasma display panel with energy recovery circuit and driving method thereof

A method of driving a plasma display panel having a plurality of address electrodes and pairs of scan electrodes and sustain electrodes intersecting the address electrodes and alternately disposed, and panels having panel capacitors formed among the address electrodes, the scan electrodes and the sustain electrodes, the method comprising:

• (a) altering a terminal voltage into a second voltage using energy of a panel capacitor charged with a first voltage in storing energy in an inductor coupled to the panel capacitor;
• (b) maintaining the terminal voltage of the panel capacitor at the second voltage;
• (c) altering the terminal voltage of the panel capacitor into the first voltage again using energy stored in the inductor;
• and
• (d) maintaining the terminal voltage at the first voltage.

An energy recovery circuit for a plasma display panel having panel capacitors, comprising:

• a first voltage source and a second voltage source supplying a first voltage and a second voltage, respectively, and an inductor coupled to one end of a panel capacitor;
• a first current path formed between one end of the panel capacitor and the second voltage source to store energy in the inductor and to simultaneously decrease a terminal voltage to the second voltage from the first voltage;
• a second current path including a first diode for freewheeling current flowing through the inductor in order to maintain energy stored in the inductor;
• a third current path increasing the terminal voltage of the panel capacitor to the first voltage from the second voltage by the energy stored in the inductor;
• and
• a fourth current path formed between the first voltage source and one end of the panel capacitor to maintain the terminal voltage of the panel capacitor at the first voltage.

A plasma display panel comprising:

• a plasma panel having a plurality of address electrodes and pairs of scan electrodes and sustain electrodes intersecting the address electrodes and alternately disposed, and panel capacitors formed among the address electrodes, the scan electrodes and the sustain electrodes;
• a controller which receives an image signal from an external device to generate an address driving control signal and a sustain discharge signal;
• an address driving unit which receives the address driving control signal from the controller to apply a display data signal for selecting a discharge cell desired to be displayed to each address electrode;
• and
• a scan/sustain driving unit which receives the sustain discharge signal from the controller to input a sustain pulse voltage to the scan electrodes and the sustain electrodes alternately, thereby performing a sustain discharge for the selected discharge cell;
• the address driving unit having an energy recovery circuit for recovering a reactive power and reusing it, the energy recovery circuit including:
• a first switching element coupled between a first power source supplying a first voltage and one end of a panel capacitor;
• a second switching element, one end of the second switching element being coupled to a contact of the first switching element and the panel capacitor;
• an inductor, one end of the inductor being coupled to one end of the panel capacitor;
• a first diode coupled between an other end of the inductor and the contact of the first switching element and the panel capacitor;
• a second diode coupled between a second power source supplying a second voltage and a contact of the second switching element and the inductor;
• and
• a third switching element coupled between the other end of the inductor and the second power source.