Method for driving gas discharge display panel

A method for driving a gas discharge display panel comprising a plurality of display electrode lines arranged side by side, a plurality of scanning electrode lines which are arranged side by side and cross the display electrode lines, and a plurality of display cells arranged at intersection spaces between the display electrode lines and the scanning electrode lines, comprising the step of:

• applying a subsidiary scanning pulse on a specific scanning electrode line selected from the scanning electrode lines;
• applying a subsidiary pulse on a specific display electrode line selected from the display electrode lines in synchronism with the subsidiary scanning pulse to produce subsidiary gas discharge in cooperation with the subsidiary scanning pulse in a specific display cell which is arranged at an intersection space between the specific display electrode line and the specific scanning electrode line;
• applying a writing scanning pulse subsequent to the subsidiary scanning pulse on the specific scanning electrode line;
• applying a writing pulse on the specific display electrode line in synchronism with the writing scanning pulse to produce writing gas discharge in the specific display cell in cooperation with the writing scanning pulse, the writing gas discharge being quickened by the subsidiary gas discharge;
• applying a maintaining pulse signal subsequent to the writing scanning pulse signal on the specific scanning electrode line during only a maintaining period to produce maintaining gas discharge subsequent to the writing gas discharge in the specific display cell, the maintaining gas discharge being intermittently produced in synchronism with pulses of the maintaining pulse signal, each of the pulses of the maintaining pulse signal being not synchronized with any of the subsidiary scanning pulse, the subsidiary pulse, the writing scanning pulse and the writing pulse.