Method for driving a gas discharge display panel

A method for driving a gas discharge display panel having a pair of first and second spaced substrates separated by a gas discharge space and respective, first and second pluralities of parallel display electrodes thereon transversely oriented to define a matrix of intersections and corresponding discharge cells therebetween, and a capacitive matrix, multiplex drive system for the display electrodes on at least the first substrate for selectively producing and thereafter maintaining discharges in the discharge cells of the panel corresponding to data to be displayed and extinguishing discharges in the discharge cells not corresponding to data to be displayed and accordingly in which discharges are not to be maintained, each display electrode having first and second opposite ends, the system employing write voltage pulses of a first, predetermined voltage level relative to a reference voltage level and sustain voltage pulses of a second predetermined voltage level, intermediate the write pulse and reference voltage levels, and comprising first and second pluralities of driving electrodes, the first and second opposite ends of each display electrode on the first substrate being individually, capacitively coupled to corresponding driving electrodes of the first and second pluralities thereof and the driving electrodes of the first plurality being connected in a first arrangement of plural first groups and the driving electrodes of the second plurality being connected in a second, different arrangement of plural second groups thereby to permit multiplexed, individual and successive selection of the display electrodes on the first substrate by successive selection of the plural driving electrodes of the first and second groups thereof, each the group of driving electrodes having a common signal terminal, wherein discharges, once initiated in the discharge cells, are maintained by applying to all discharge cells sustain voltage pulses of alternating polarity and of a voltage level intermediate the write and reference voltage levels, comprising the steps of:

• selecting a given display electrode of the first substrate by selecting the common signal terminals of the respective first and second groups of driving electrodes associated with the given display electrode;
• applying a write voltage pulse to all display electrodes of the second substrate while simultaneously maintaining a reference voltage level at the common signal terminals of the respective first and second groups of driving electrodes associated with the selected, given display electrode and, substantially simultaneously, applying a voltage pulse of substantially a sustain voltage pulse level to the remaining first and second group terminals, thereby to produce a discharge in each discharge cell associated with the selected display electrode and to sustain discharges in all remaining discharge cells of the panel;
• and
• applying a reference voltage level to the respective first and second group terminals associated with the selected display electrode and, substantially simultaneously, applying an erase signal pulse to each of the display electrodes of the second substrate which define non-data corresponding discharge cells associated with the selected display electrode thereby to erase each discharge initiated in a non-data corresponding discharge cell, and applying a voltage pulse of substantially a sustain voltage pulse level to the remaining first and second group terminals, thereby to cancel the effect of the erase signal pulse as to all remaining discharge cells of the panel.

The method for driving a gas discharge display panel having a pair of first and second spaced substrates separated by a gas discharge space and respective, first and second pluralities of parallel display electrodes thereon transversely oriented to define a matrix of intersections and corresponding discharge cells therebetween, and a capacitive matrix, multiplex drive system for the display electrodes on at least the first substrate for selectively producing and thereafter maintaining discharges in the discharge cells of the panel corresponding to data to be displayed and extinguishing discharges in the discharge cells not corresponding to data to be displayed and accordingly in which discharges are not to be maintained, each display electrode having first and second opposite ends, the system employing write voltage pulses of a first, predetermined voltage level relative to a reference voltage level and sustain voltage pulses of a second predetermined voltage level, intermediate the write pulse and reference voltage levels, and comprising first and second pluralities of driving electrodes, the first and second opposite ends of each display electrode on the first substrate being individually, capacitively coupled to corresponding driving electrodes of the first and second pluralities thereof and the driving electrodes of the first plurality being connected in a first arrangement of plural first groups and the driving electrodes of the second plurality being connected in a second, different arrangement of plural second groups thereby to permit multiplexed, individual and successive selection of the display electrodes on the first substrate by successive selection of the plural driving electrodes of the first and second groups thereof, each the group of driving electrodes having a common signal terminal, wherein discharges, once initiated in the discharge cells, are maintained by applying to all discharge cells sustain voltage pulses of alternating polarity and of a voltage level intermediate the write and reference voltage levels, comprising the steps of:

• selecting a given display electrode of the first substrate by selecting the common signal terminals of the respective first and second groups of driving electrodes associated with the given display electrode;
• applying a write voltage pulse to the common signal terminals of the respective first and second groups of driving electrodes associated with the selected display electrode while maintaining all the electrodes of the second substrate at a reference voltage level thereby to initiate a discharge in each discharge cell associated with the selected display electrode;
• and
• applying an erase voltage pulse to the common signal terminals of the respective first and second groups of driving electrodes associated with the selected display electrode and, substantially simultaneously, selectively applying an erase cancel voltage pulse to the display electrodes of the second substrate which define discharge cells associated with the selected display electrode of the first substrate which correspond to the data to be displayed to cancel the effect of the erase pulse and thereby to maintain the discharge initiated in each data-corresponding discharge cell associated with the selected display electrode, the erase pulse erasing the discharges initiated in the remaining, non-data corresponding discharge cells associated with the selected display electrode, and thereby producing a display of the data.

A system for driving a gas discharge display panel having a pair of first and second spaced substrates separated by a gas discharge space and respective, first and second pluralities of parallel display electrodes thereon transversely oriented to define a matrix of intersections and corresponding discharge cells therebetween, and a capacitive matrix, multiplex drive system for the display electrodes on at least the first substrate for selectively producing and thereafter maintaining discharges in the discharge cells of the panel corresponding to data to be displayed and extinguishing discharges in the discharge cells not corresponding to data to be displayed and accordingly in which discharges are not to be maintained, each display electrode having first and second opposite ends, the system comprising first and second pluralities of driving electrodes, the first and second opposite ends of each display electrode on the first substrate being individually, capacitively coupled to corresponding driving electrodes of the first and second pluralities thereof and the driving electrodes of the first plurality being connected in a first arrangement of plural first groups and the driving electrodes of the second plurality being connected in a second, different arrangement of plural second groups thereby to permit multiplexed, individual and successive selection of the display electrodes on the first substrate by successive selection of the plural driving electrodes of the first and second groups thereof, comprising:

• first means for selecting a display electrode of the first substrate with respect to which data is to be displayed by selectively producing discharges in corresponding discharge cells associated with the selected display electrode and for substantially simultaneously discharging all of the discharge cells associated with the selected display electrode in a first time interval;
• and
• second means for selecting all discharge cells associated with the selected display electrode of the first substrate in which discharges are not to be produced in accordance with the data to be displayed, and for erasing those discharge cells in which discharges are not to be produced while maintaining the discharges in the discharge cells associated with the selected display electrode and corresponding to the data in a second time interval subsequent to the first time interval, and thereby producing the display of the data by the selected display electrode.

A system for driving a gas discharge display panel having a pair of first and second spaced substrates separated by a gas discharge space and respective, first and second pluralities of parallel display electrodes thereon transversely oriented to define a matrix of intersections and corresponding discharge cells therebetween, and a capacitive matrix, multiplex drive system for the display electrodes on at least the first substrate for selectively producing and thereafter maintaining discharges in the discharge cells of the panel corresponding to data to be displayed and extinguishing discharges in the discharge cells not corresponding to data to be displayed and accordingly in which discharges are not to be maintained, each display electrode having first and second opposite ends, the system employing write voltage pulses of a first, predetermined voltage level relative to a reference voltage level and sustain voltage pulses of a second predetermined voltage level, intermediate the write pulse and reference voltage levels, and comprising first and second pluralities of driving electrodes, the first and second opposite ends of each display electrode on the first substrate being individually, capacitively coupled to corresponding driving electrodes of the first and second pluralities thereof and the driving electrodes of the first plurality being connected in a first arrangement of plural first groups and the driving electrodes of the second plurality being connected in a second, different arrangement of plural second groups thereby to permit multiplexed, individual and successive selection of the display electrodes on the first substrate by successive selection of the plural driving electrodes of the first and second groups thereof, each the group of driving electrodes having a common signal terminal, wherein discharges, once initiated in the discharge cells, are maintained by applying to all discharge cells sustain voltage pulses of alternating polarity and of a voltage level intermediate the write and reference voltage levels, comprising:

• first means for selecting a given display electrode of the first substrate by selecting the common signal terminals of the respective first and second groups of driving electrodes associated with the given display electrode and for applying a write voltage pulse to all display electrodes of the second substrate while simultaneously maintaining a reference voltage level at the common signal terminals of the respective first and second groups of driving electrodes associated with the selected, given display electrode and, substantially simultaneously, applying a voltage pulse of substantially a sustain voltage pulse level to the remaining first and second group terminals, thereby to produce a discharge in each discharge cell associated with the selected display electrode and to sustain discharges in all remaining discharge cells of the panel;
• and
• second means for applying a reference level potential to the respective first and second group terminals associated with the selected display electrode and substantially simultaneously applying an erase signal pulse to each of the display electrodes of the second substrate which define non-data corresponding discharge cells associated with the selected display electrode thereby to erase each discharge initiated in a non-data corresponding discharge cell, and applying a voltage pulse of substantially a sustain voltage pulse level to the remaining first and second group terminals, thereby to cancel the effect of the erase signal pulse as to all remaining discharge cells of the panel.

A system for driving a gas discharge display panel having a pair of first and second spaced substrates separated by a gas discharge space and respective, first and second pluralities of parallel display electrodes thereon transversely oriented to define a matrix of intersections and corresponding discharge cells therebetween, and a capacitive matrix, multiplex drive system for the display electrodes on at least the first substrate for selectively producing and thereafter maintaining discharges in the discharge cells of the panel corresponding to data to be displayed and extinguishing discharges in the discharge cells not corresponding to data to be displayed and accordingly in which discharges are not to be maintained, each display electrode having first and second opposite ends, the system employing write voltage pulses of a first, predetermined voltage level relative to a reference voltage level and sustain voltage pulses of a second predetermined voltage level, intermediate the write pulse and reference voltage levels, and comprising first and second pluralities of driving electrodes, the first and second opposite ends of each display electrode on the first substrate being individually, capacitively coupled to corresponding driving electrodes of the first and second pluralities thereof and the driving electrodes of the first plurality being connected in a first arrangement of plural first groups and the driving electrodes of the second plurality being connected in a second, different arrangement of plural second groups thereby to permit multiplexed, individual and successive selection of the display electrodes on the first substrate by successive selection of the plural driving electrodes of the first and second groups thereof, each the group of driving electrodes having a common signal terminal, wherein discharges, once initiated in the discharge cells, are maintained by applying to all discharge cells sustain voltage pulses of alternating polarity and of a voltage level intermediate the write and reference voltage levels, comprising:

• first means for selecting a given display electrode of the first substrate by selecting the common signal terminals of the respective first and second groups of driving electrodes associated with the given display electrode and for applying a write voltage pulse to the common signal terminals of the respective first and second groups of driving electrodes associated with the selected display electrode while maintaining all the electrodes of the second substrate at a reference voltage level thereby to initiate a discharge in each discharge cell associated with the selected display electrode;
• and
• second means for applying an erase voltage pulse to the common signal terminals of the respective first and second groups of driving electrodes associated with the selected display electrode and, substantially simultaneously, selectively applying an erase cancel voltage pulse to the display electrodes of the second substrate which define discharge cells associated with the selected display electrode of the first substrate which correspond to the data to be displayed to cancel the effect of the erase pulse and thereby to maintain the discharge initiated in each the data-corresponding discharge cell associated with the selected display electrode, the erase pulse erasing the discharges initiated in the remaining discharge cells associated with the selected display electrode and not corresponding to the data to be displayed, and thereby producing a display of the data.