US 6,417,824 B1Granted

Method of driving plasma display panel

AssigneePioneer Corporation

InventorsTsutomu Tokunaga, Nobuhiko Saegusa

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A method of driving a plasma display panel for improving the contrast at low power consumption while suppressing spurious borders, and for stabilizing selective discharge to improve the display quality. The method selects either a first mode in which the number of times of light emission in a light emission sustaining stage in each subfield (SF) within a SF group in one field display period is set to a first value, or a second mode in which the number of times of light emission in the light emission sustaining stage in each SF within the SF group is set to a second value lower than the first value. When the second mode is selected, at least one of the values of a pulse width and a pulse voltage of a scanning pulse in each SF within the SF group is set larger than the corresponding value of the pulse width or the pulse voltage of the scanning pulse in each SF within the SF group when the first mode is selected.

Claims32

Dependent claims

A method of driving a plasma display panel to display gradation representations, said plasma display panel having row electrode pairs arranged for respective scanning lines, a plurality of column electrodes arranged intersecting with said row electrode pairs, and discharge cells, each corresponding to one pixel, formed at respective intersections of said row electrode pairs for said respective scanning lines and said plurality of column electrodes, said method comprising the steps of:

dividing one field display period into N subfields, where N is an integer number equal to or larger than two, and forming M consecutively positioned subfields within said N subfields into a subfield group, where 2≦M≦N is satisfied;
executing, only in the first subfield of said subfield group, a reset stage for producing a discharge for initializing all said discharge cells into a light emitting cell state;
executing, in any subfield within said subfield group, a pixel data writing stage for applying said column electrodes with pixel data pulses to produce a discharge for setting said discharge cells to non-light emitting cells, and for sequentially applying one electrode in each of said row electrode pairs with a scanning pulse in synchronism with said pixel data pulses;
executing, in each subfield within said subfield group, a light emission sustaining stage for producing a discharge to drive only said light emitting cells to emit light a number of times corresponding to a weighting for said subfield;
selecting one from a first mode in which the number of times of light emission in said light emission sustaining stage in each subfield of said subfield group is set to a first value, and a second mode in which the number of times of light emission in said light emission sustaining stage in each subfield of said subfield group is set to a second value smaller than said first value;
and
setting at least one of the values of a pulse width and a pulse voltage of said scanning pulse in each subfield within said subfield group when said second mode is selected larger than the value of the pulse width or the pulse voltage of said scanning pulse in each subfield within said subfield group when said first mode is selected.

4 more elements

A method of driving a display panel having row electrodes that cross column electrodes to form discharge cells, wherein the discharge cells correspond to pixels of the display panel and wherein the method comprises:

dividing one field display period into at least a first subfield and a second subfield to form at least a first subfield group, wherein the second subfield occurs after the first subfield;
executing a reset stage substantially at a beginning of the first subfield group to initialize all of the discharge cells into a first light emitting state;
applying first pixel data pulses to the column electrodes during a first pixel data writing stage in the first subfield to selectively set at least some of the discharge cells in a second light emitting state;
sequentially and respectively applying first scanning pulses to the row electrodes in synchronism with the first pixel data pulses during the first pixel data writing stage in the first subfield;
executing a first light emission sustaining stage in the first subfield in which the discharge cells having the first light emitting state emit light corresponding to weighting of the first subfield;
applying second pixel data pulses to the column electrodes during a second pixel data writing stage in the second subfield to selectively set at least some of the discharge cells in the second light emitting state;
sequentially and respectively applying second scanning pulses to the row electrodes in synchronism with the second pixel data pulses during the second pixel data writing stage in the second subfield;
and
executing a second light emission sustaining stage in the second subfield in which the discharge cells having the first light emitting state emit light corresponding to a weighting of the second subfield,
wherein a pulse waveform characteristic of the first scanning pulses is larger than the pulse waveform characteristic of the second scanning pulses.

7 more elements

dividing one field display period into at least a first subfield and a second subfield to form at least a first subfield group, wherein the second subfield occurs after the first subfield;
executing a reset stage substantially at a beginning of the first subfield group to initialize all of the discharge cells into a first light emitting state;
applying first pixel data pulses to the column electrodes during a first pixel data writing stage in the first subfield to selectively set at least some of the discharge cells in a second light emitting state;
sequentially and respectively applying first scanning pulses to the row electrodes in synchronism with the first pixel data pulses during the first pixel data writing stage in the first subfield;
executing a first light emission sustaining stage in the first subfield in which the discharge cells having the first light emitting state emit light corresponding to a weighting of the first subfield;
applying second pixel data pulses to the column electrodes during a second pixel data writing stage in the second subfield to selectively set at least some of the discharge cells in the second light emitting state;
sequentially and respectively applying second scanning pulses to the row electrodes in synchronism with the second pixel data pulses during the second pixel data writing stage in the second subfield;
and
executing a second light emission sustaining stage in the second subfield in which the discharge cells having the first light emitting state emit light corresponding to a weighting of the second subfield,
wherein the display panel can be operated in a first mode and a second mode,
wherein the first scanning pulses are sequentially and respectively applied to the row electrodes in synchronism with the first pixel data pulses during the first pixel data writing stage when the display panel is operated in the first mode,
wherein third scanning pulses are sequentially and respectively applied to the row electrodes in synchronism with the first pixel data pulses during the first pixel data writing stage when the display panel is operated in the second mode, and
wherein a pulse waveform characteristic of the third scanning pulses is larger than the pulse waveform characteristic of the first scanning pulses.

10 more elements

A display panel, comprising:

column electrodes;
row electrodes that cross the column electrodes to form discharge cells, wherein the discharge cells correspond to pixels of the display panel;
a control circuit,
wherein the control circuit divides one field display period into at least a first subfield and a second subfield to form at least a first subfield group and wherein the second subfield occurs after the first subfield,
wherein the control circuit executes a reset stage substantially at a beginning of the first subfield group to initialize all of the discharge cells into a first light emitting state,
wherein the control circuit applies first pixel data pulses to the column electrodes during a first pixel data writing stage in the first subfield to selectively set at least some of the discharge cells in a second light emitting state,
wherein the control circuit sequentially and respectively applies first scanning pulses to the row electrodes in synchronism with the first pixel data pulses during the first pixel data writing stage in the first subfield,
wherein the control circuit executes a first light emission sustaining stage in the first subfield in which the discharge cells having the first light emitting state emit light corresponding to weighting of the first subfield,
wherein the control circuit applies second pixel data pulses to the column electrodes during a second pixel data writing stage in the second subfield to selectively set at least some of the discharge cells in the second light emitting state,
wherein the control circuit sequentially and respectively applies second scanning pulses to the row electrodes in synchronism with the second pixel data pulses during the second pixel data writing stage in the second subfield,
wherein the control circuit executes a second light emission sustaining stage in the second subfield in which the discharge cells having the first light emitting state emit light corresponding to a weighting of the second subfield, and
wherein a pulse waveform characteristic of the first scanning pulses is larger than the pulse waveform characteristic of the second scanning pulses.

9 more elements

A display panel, which can be operated in a first mode and a second mode, comprising:

column electrodes;
row electrodes that cross the column electrodes to form discharge cells, wherein the discharge cells correspond to pixels of the display panel;
a control circuit,
wherein the control circuit divides one field display period into at least a first subfield and a second subfield to form at least a first subfield group, wherein the second subfield occurs after the first subfield,
wherein the control circuit executes a reset stage substantially at a beginning of the first subfield group to initialize all of the discharge cells into a first light emitting state,
wherein the control circuit applies first pixel data pulses to the column electrodes during a first pixel data writing stage in the first subfield to selectively set at least some of the discharge cells in a second light emitting state,
wherein, during the first mode, the control circuit sequentially and respectively applies first scanning pulses to the row electrodes in synchronism with the first pixel data pulses during the first pixel data writing stage in the first subfield,
wherein the control circuit executes a first light emission sustaining stage in the first subfield in which the discharge cells having the first light emitting state emit light corresponding to a weighting of the first subfield,
wherein the control circuit applies second pixel data pulses to the column electrodes during a second pixel data writing stage in the second subfield to selectively set at least some of the discharge cells in the second light emitting state,
wherein the control circuit sequentially and respectively applies second scanning pulses to the row electrodes in synchronism with the second pixel data pulses during the second pixel data writing stage in the second subfield,
wherein the control circuit executes a second light emission sustaining stage in the second subfield in which the discharge cells having the first light emitting state emit light corresponding to a weighting of the second subfield,
wherein, during the second mode, the control circuit sequentially and respectively applies third scanning pulses to the row electrodes in synchronism with the first pixel data pulses during the first pixel data writing stage in the first subfield, and
wherein a pulse waveform characteristic of the third scanning pulses is larger than the pulse waveform characteristic of the first scanning pulses.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.