Patents by Inventor Jean-Raphael Bezal

Jean-Raphael Bezal has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8525755
    Abstract: A control device for a matrix plasma display screen has a row driver circuit capable of sequentially selecting the rows of the matrix and a column driver circuit, for each column of the matrix, with an individual column driver unit that has at least a first transistor of the MOS type capable of emitting, towards each column of a desired set of columns, a state change signal in order to allow the transition of the set from a first state towards a second state, and a controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA
    Inventors: Jean-Raphaël Bezal, Jean-Marie Permezel, Gilles Troussel
  • Patent number: 8410998
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for driving a plasma display panel having a plurality of cells arranged in rows and columns, said device comprising row address means for selectively addressing the display cell rows and creating, where required, in cooperation with means for selectively applying data voltages to the display columns, an electrical discharge inside the cell disposed at the intersection of the row and column selected during an address phase, and sustain means (I3, I4, I5, I6) for sustaining the electrical discharges inside said cell during a sustain phase immediately following the address phase. According to the invention, the row address means and/or the sustain means are capable of allowing a bi-directional current to flow in the display cells during the address and/or sustain phases. The capacitive and light-emission currents appearing during these phases can thus flow freely and do not create electromagnetic interference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Jean-Raphael Bezal, Gérard Rilly, Philippe Zorzan
  • Patent number: 7876290
    Abstract: A device for controlling a matrix screen includes a scanning circuit. The scanning circuit includes a row control block which successively selects each row, and a column control block which, for each selected row, selects or deselects a set of columns of the screen with the aid of column selection or deselection signals. The temporal evolution of each column selection signal and of each column deselection signal includes a first and a second part separated by an intermediate porch. The column control block, for each column of the screen, determines if the corresponding column has to be selected or deselected, determines the value of the capacitance seen by the column termed the column-capacitance, and adjusts temporal evolution characteristics of the selection or deselection signal of at least one column to be selected or deselected as a function of the determined value of its column-capacitance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.A.
    Inventors: Jean-Raphaël Bezal, Eric Cirot
  • Publication number: 20100245329
    Abstract: A method and circuit to control a circuit for addressing at least one line electrode of a plasma display panel having, for each line, a line selection stage formed of two switches in series between two input terminals of the selection stage, the method including alternating use of the two switches of the selection stage of each line to flow a current from or to an inductive element of the addressing circuit without connecting the input terminals together.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.A.
    Inventors: Jean-Raphael Bezal, Gilles Troussel, Jean-Marie Permezel
  • Patent number: 7768479
    Abstract: To generate a rising or falling edge simultaneously on the electrodes Ys and Ysa of a plasma display cell, the invention provides for the use of the power recovery circuit of the control device in order to apply, to one of the electrodes Yas and Y, the rising edge applied to the other of the electrodes by a dedicated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Jean-Raphaël Bezal, Gérard Morizot, Sylvain Thiebaud
  • Patent number: 7750870
    Abstract: A method and circuit to control of a circuit for addressing at least one line electrode of a plasma display panel having, for each line, a line selection stage formed of two switches in series between two input terminals of the selection stage, the method including use of a first one of the two switches of the selection stage of each line to flow a current from or to an inductive element of the addressing circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA
    Inventors: Jean-Raphael Bezal, Gilles Troussel, Jean-Marie Permezel
  • Publication number: 20090051626
    Abstract: A method controls electrodes for addressing a display panel having pixels distributed in lines and in columns, each addressing electrode being associated with a column in the panel, each line in the panel being successively selected for the addressing of the pixels in the line. The method includes maintaining, at least for part of the selection of each line, of at least one addressing electrode at a given reference voltage when the pixel of the line associated with the at least one addressing electrode is to be addressed, and setting to high impedance of the at least one addressing electrode between the successive selection of two lines having their pixels associated with the at least one addressing electrode which are to be addressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2008
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS SA
    Inventors: Jean-Raphael Bezal, Gilles Troussel
  • Patent number: 7477211
    Abstract: The invention relates to a driver for a plasma display panel. According to the invention, in order to reduce the current loops during the sustain of the display cells, a novel driver architecture is proposed. The switches of the sustain circuit, together with the switches, are disposed next to one another on the circuit board. In addition, the connectors accessing the display electrodes are placed, at the periphery of the board, on the same edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Jean-Raphaël Bezal, Gérard Morizot, Nicolas Dompnier
  • Publication number: 20080122743
    Abstract: A device for controlling a matrix screen includes a scanning circuit. The scanning circuit includes a row control block which successively selects each row, and a column control block which, for each selected row, selects or deselects a set of columns of the screen with the aid of column selection or deselection signals. The temporal evolution of each column selection signal and of each column deselection signal includes a first and a second part separated by an intermediate porch. The column control block, for each column of the screen, determines if the corresponding column has to be selected or deselected, determines the value of the capacitance seen by the column termed the column-capacitance, and adjusts temporal evolution characteristics of the selection or deselection signal of at least one column to be selected or deselected as a function of the determined value of its column-capacitance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2007
    Publication date: May 29, 2008
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.A.
    Inventors: Jean-Raphael Bezal, Eric Cirot
  • Patent number: 7319441
    Abstract: Provided is a device for supplying an array of electrodes of a plasma display panel, the device including, for each electrode, a driver having a series of switches and a series of diodes, the common points of which are connected to the electrode. The upper terminal of the series of diodes is connected directly to the output of a sustain generator and the lower terminal is connected to the sustain generator via a power switch. One of the terminals of the series of switches is connected to the output of a negative voltage generator. In periods during which the negative voltage generator applies a negative voltage to the electrodes, the power switch is open in order to avoid a short-circuit via the diode of the sustain generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2008
    Assignee: Pioneer Plasma Display Corporation
    Inventors: Jean-Raphaël Bezal, Gérard Morizot, Gérard Rilly
  • Publication number: 20070195015
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for driving a plasma display panel having a plurality of cells arranged in rows and columns, said device comprising row address means for selectively addressing the display cell rows and creating, where required, in cooperation with means for selectively applying data voltages to the display columns, an electrical discharge inside the cell disposed at the intersection of the row and column selected during an address phase, and sustain means (I3, I4, I5, I6) for sustaining the electrical discharges inside said cell during a sustain phase immediately following the address phase. According to the invention, the row address means and/or the sustain means are capable of allowing a bi-directional current to flow in the display cells during the address and/or sustain phases. The capacitive and light-emission currents appearing during these phases can thus flow freely and do not create electromagnetic interference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2004
    Publication date: August 23, 2007
    Inventors: Jean-Raphael Bezal, Gerard Rilly, Philippe Zorzan
  • Publication number: 20070183183
    Abstract: A control device for a matrix plasma display screen has a row driver circuit capable of sequentially selecting the rows of the matrix and a column driver circuit, for each column of the matrix, with an individual column driver unit that has at least a first transistor of the MOS type capable of emitting, towards each column of a desired set of columns, a state change signal in order to allow the transition of the set from a first state towards a second state, and a controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Publication date: August 9, 2007
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics SA
    Inventors: Jean-Raphael Bezal, Jean-Marie Permezel, Gilles Troussell
  • Patent number: 7224330
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device comprising a metallic support plate, the front face of which supports a plasma discharge panel which is equipped with a network of pairs of adjacent electrodes and the rear face of which is equipped with a power supply. According to the invention, the connection ends of the electrodes of one electrode pair are located on opposite edges of the panel and the power circuit of each pair of adjacent electrodes forms a current loop that does not surround the metallic plate. In this way, electric losses are restricted in said plate and the cells of the panel operate identically along the entire length of the electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Gérard Rilly, Gérard Morizot, Jean-Raphaël Bezal
  • Patent number: 7141930
    Abstract: An image display device is disclosed including a metallic support plate carrying, on its front face, a plasma discharge display with an array of adjacent pairs of electrodes and, on its back face, a power supply. The power supply circuit of each pair of adjacent electrodes forms a current loop starting from the power supply and passing through the electrode then the electrode of the pair, the connection end of the electrode being linked to the power supply by means of a transverse electrical conductor placed on the front side of said metallic plate. According to the invention, the transverse conductor linked to the electrode forms a non-zero angle with said pair of electrodes. The differences in inductance between the various current loops of the display are thus reduced such that the differences in luminance between the various discharge regions of the plasma display are reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Gérard Morizot, Jean-Raphaël Bezal, Gérard Rilly
  • Publication number: 20060196855
    Abstract: A method and circuit to control of a circuit for addressing at least one line electrode of a plasma display panel having, for each line, a line selection stage formed of two switches in series between two input terminals of the selection stage, the method including use of a first one of the two switches of the selection stage of each line to flow a current from or to an inductive element of the addressing circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2006
    Publication date: September 7, 2006
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.A.
    Inventors: Jean-Raphael Bezal, Gilles Troussel, Jean-Marie Permezel
  • Publication number: 20060139244
    Abstract: The method is for controlling a plasma matrix screen, including sequential selection of rows of the matrix and, for a selected row, deselection of a plurality of columns of the matrix which were previously selected during the selection of a previous row. To avoid excessive steepness of the falling edges of the column potentials, the previously selected columns are non-simultaneously deselected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Publication date: June 29, 2006
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics SA
    Inventors: Jean-Raphael Bezal, Jean-Marie Permezel, Gilles Troussel
  • Publication number: 20060097959
    Abstract: The electrodes are used both for the sustain phase and the address phase. The device comprises, for each electrode Yn, a driver 5 comprising a series of switches 51, 52 and a series of diodes 53, 54, the common points of which are connected to this electrode; the upper terminal of the series of diodes is connected directly to the output 92 of a sustain generator 2 and its lower terminal is connected to this same generator via a power switch 6; one of the terminals of the series of switches is connected to the output 94, 97 of a negative voltage generator 4, 7. Thus, in the periods during which the negative voltage generator 4, 7 applies a negative voltage to the electrodes, it suffices to open the power switch 6 in order to avoid a short-circuit via the diode 25 of the sustain generator 2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2003
    Publication date: May 11, 2006
    Inventors: Jean-Raphael Bezal, Gerard Morizot, Gerard Rilly
  • Publication number: 20050057445
    Abstract: The invention relates to a driver for a plasma display panel. According to the invention, in order to reduce the current loops during the sustain of the display cells, a novel driver architecture is proposed. The switches of the sustain circuit, together with the switches, are disposed next to one another on the circuit board. In addition, the connectors accessing the display electrodes are placed, at the periphery of the board, on the same edge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2004
    Publication date: March 17, 2005
    Inventors: Jean-Raphael Bezal, Gerard Morizot, Nicolas Dompnier
  • Publication number: 20050035930
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for driving a plasma display panel capable of generating a voltage falling edge on one of the electrodes of the display cells while maintaining a fixed potential on the other electrode of the display cells. This device is designed to be used at the end of the sustain phase of the display cells to bring the two cell electrodes back to a low potential. It comprises means for storing energy during a first time period of the falling edge and means for transferring the stored energy to the voltage supply source of the device during the remaining time period of said falling edge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2004
    Publication date: February 17, 2005
    Inventors: Jean-Raphael Bezal, Gerard Morizot, Philippe Marchand
  • Publication number: 20050029958
    Abstract: An image display device is disclosed including a metallic support plate carrying, on its front face, a plasma discharge display with an array of adjacent pairs of electrodes and, on its back face, a power supply. The power supply circuit of each pair of adjacent electrodes forms a current loop starting from the power supply and passing through the electrode then the electrode of the pair, the connection end of the electrode being linked to the power supply by means of a transverse electrical conductor placed on the front side of said metallic plate. According to the invention, the transverse conductor linked to the electrode forms a non-zero angle with said pair of electrodes. The differences in inductance between the various current loops of the display are thus reduced such that the differences in luminance between the various discharge regions of the plasma display are reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2004
    Publication date: February 10, 2005
    Inventors: Gerard Morizot, Jean-Raphael Bezal, Gerard Rilly