Abstract: A voltage of sustain electrodes (SU1 to SUn) is lowered from Ve1 to a ground potential at a time point t1 immediately before a first SF (sub-field). Then, a pulsed positive voltage Vd is applied to data electrodes (D1 to Dm) at a starting time point t2 of a setup period of the first SF. Immediately before this, a large amount of negative wall charges is stored on the sustain electrodes (SU1 to SUn) and positive wall charges are stored on the data electrodes (D1 to Dm), and therefore application of the pulsed positive voltage Vd to the data electrodes generates strong discharges between the sustain electrodes (SU1 to SUn) and the data electrodes (D1 to Dm). After that, application of a ramp voltage to scan electrodes (SC1 to SCn) is started at a time point t3, generating setup discharges between the scan electrodes (SC1 to SCn) and the sustain electrodes (SU1 to SUn).

Abstract: A first ramp waveform rising from a first potential (Vi1) to a second potential (Vi2) is applied to a plurality of scan electrodes (SC) in a first half period of a setup period, and a third ramp waveform rising from a fifth potential (a ground potential) to a sixth potential (Vi5, Vi5?) is applied to a plurality of sustain electrodes (SU) in a period, which is shorter than the first half period, within the first half period. A second ramp waveform dropping from a third potential (Vi3) to a fourth potential (Vi4) is applied to the plurality of scan electrodes (SC) in the second half period following the first half period, and a fourth ramp waveform dropping from a seventh potential (Ve) to an eighth potential (Vi6, Vi6?) is applied to the plurality of sustain electrodes (SU) in a period, which is shorter than the second half period, within the second half period. Then, a peak value of the third ramp waveform and a peak value of the fourth ramp waveform are changed based on a state of a plasma display panel.

Abstract: A scan electrode driving circuit applies a first ramp waveform rising from a first potential (Vi1) to a second potential (Vi2) to a plurality of scan electrodes (SC) in a first half period within a setup period of at least one sub-field of a plurality of sub-fields, and applies a second ramp waveform dropping from a third potential (Vi3) to a fourth potential (Vi4) to the plurality of scan electrodes (SC) in a second half period following the first half period. A sustain electrode driving circuit applies a third ramp waveform rising from a fifth potential (ground potential) to a sixth potential (Vi5) to a plurality of sustain electrodes (SU) in a period, which is shorter than the first half period, within the first half period, and applies a fourth ramp waveform dropping from a seventh potential (Ve) to an eighth potential (Vi6) to the plurality of sustain electrodes (SC) in a period, which is shorter than the second half period, within the second half period.

Abstract: A stable address discharge is generated and number of unlit cells is decreased without heightening the voltage necessary for generating an address discharge. For this purpose, the device includes a plasma display panel and a driving circuit for driving the plasma display panel, in which the driving circuit drives the plasma display panel having a sub-field group formed of two or more continuous sub-fields for controlling addressing provided in one field period, so as not to generate sustain discharge in the discharge cell not causing sustain discharge and also in the subsequent sub-fields, the discharge cell is initialized by applying a ramp waveform voltage descending gently to the scan electrode, the lowest voltage of the ramp waveform voltage of the sub-field included in the sub-field group is made different from the lowest voltage of the ramp waveform voltage of the sub-field not included in the sub-field group.

Abstract: Provided are a plasma display device and a method for driving the plasma display panel. The plasma display device with a panel having high luminance can generate a stable address discharge without increasing the voltage required to generate an address discharge when the current accumulated time of the panel has increased. To achieve this advantage, the plasma display device includes an accumulated-time-measurement-circuit and a scan-electrode-driving-circuit.

Abstract: A plasma display device includes a plasma display panel that has plural scan electrodes and plural sustain electrodes constituting display electrode pairs; and a sustain pulse generating circuit that divides a field period into a plurality of sub fields having an initializing period, an address period, and a sustain period and that generates the sustain pulse with a variable rising slope. The sustain pulse generating circuit generates at least two kinds of sustain pulses in which the rising slope of one sustain pulse is steeper than that of the other sustain pulse in the sustain period of at least one sub field of the plural sub fields and applies the sustain pulse having the steeper rising slope to one electrode of each display electrode pair continuously twice or more at the end of the sustain period.

Abstract: In a plasma display device, a period for connecting display electrode pairs to the base potential is disposed between a sustain pulse for generating the final sustain discharge and the previous sustain pulse based on a lighting ratio of the discharge cells in the corresponding subfield, and a voltage for reducing an interelectrode potential difference of the display electrode pairs is applied to the display electrode pairs in a predetermined time period corresponding to the lighting ratio of the discharge cells in the corresponding subfield after applying the sustain pulse for generating the final sustain discharge to the scan electrodes.

Abstract: A plasma display panel is driven by providing a plurality of subfields within one field period, the subfield having an initializing period in which the initializing discharge is generated in a discharge cell by applying a ramp-waveform voltage that is gradually descending to a scan electrode, an address period in which an address discharge is generated in the discharge cell by applying a scan pulse voltage to the scan electrode, and a sustain period in which sustain discharges by the number of times corresponding to the luminance weight are generated in the selected discharge cell. The lowest voltage is set of the descending ramp-waveform voltage in the subfield where the luminance weight is the smallest lower than the same voltage in the subfield where the luminance weight is the largest, and a voltage is kept for a prescribed period after the descending ramp-waveform voltage reaches the lowest voltage in the subfield where the luminance weight is the smallest.

Abstract: A stable address discharge in a plasma display device is generated without increased voltage to cope with increase in the cumulative current-carrying time of a panel with high luminance. A cumulative time calculating circuit for calculating cumulative current-carrying time of the panel and a driving circuit for driving the panel. The driving circuit delivers collected power to the display electrode pairs and clamps each voltage of the display electrode pairs to power-supply voltage and base potential. A sustain period has a period, during which the voltage of the display electrode pairs is clamped to base potential, between the sustain pulse for generating the last sustain discharge in the sustain period and the immediately preceding sustain pulse. The length of the period is changed according to the cumulative current-carrying time calculated by the cumulative time calculating circuit.

Abstract: In a plasma-display-panel driving method, a field period is divided into a plurality of sub fields, each of which has an address period for allowing discharge cells to selectively generate an address discharge and a sustain period for allowing the discharge cells having generated the address discharge to generate a sustain discharge by a number of times corresponding to a brightness weight. In the sustain period, a period for setting display electrode pairs to the base potential is disposed between the sustain pulse for causing the final sustain discharge in the sustain period and the previous sustain pulse. In a time interval corresponding to the lighting ratio of the discharge cells in the sub field after applying to the display electrode pairs a voltage for generating the final sustain discharge, a voltage for reducing the potential difference between electrodes of the display electrode pairs is applied to the display electrode pairs.

Abstract: One field period includes a plurality of subfields each having an initialization period in which a gradually descending sloping waveform voltage is applied to a scan electrode, a writing period in which a negative scan pulse voltage is applied to the scan electrode, and a sustain period. A sloping waveform voltage is generated by switching a minimum voltage in the sloping waveform voltage between a first voltage and a second voltage that has a lower voltage value than that of the first voltage. The ratio in one field period of a subfield in which an initialization is carried out by the sloping waveform voltage whose minimum voltage is the second voltage is increased when a temperature of the plasma display panel is determined to be low as compared with when the temperature is determined to be not low.

Abstract: In displaying a predetermined image on a plasma display panel, occurrence of an initializing bright point can be suppressed to reduce the maximum voltage in an all-cell initializing operation, light emission in the all-cell initializing operation is suppressed to reduce the black luminance, and the contrast is sharpened. In driving the plasma display panel, one field period includes a plurality of subfields having a setup period for causing initializing discharge in discharge cells, an address period, and a sustain period. One field period includes at least one subfield for applying ramp waveform voltage increasing in the setup period to the scan electrodes. The maximum voltage of the ramp waveform voltage can be varied.

Abstract: Plural subfields are provided in one single field period, where each subfield has an initialization period during which a gradient waveform voltage gently falling is applied to a scan electrode to generate initializing discharge in a discharge cell; a writing period during which a scan pulse voltage is applied to a scan electrode to generate writing discharge in a discharge cell; and a sustain period during which sustain discharge is generated in a discharge cell selected, by the number of times corresponding to a luminance weight. The lowest voltage of a falling gradient waveform voltage in a subfield with the smallest luminance weight is set so as to be lower than that with the largest luminance weight. A method of driving a plasma display panel is provided that generates stable writing discharge without increasing voltage required for generating writing discharge even for a large-screen, high-luminance panel.

Abstract: A plasma display device has a cumulative time measuring circuit for measuring the current-flow cumulative time, and a sustain electrode driving circuit. In the sustain electrode driving circuit, one field includes a plurality of subfields having an initializing period for initializing the discharge cells, an address period for selecting discharge cells to be discharged, and a sustain period for causing sustain discharge in the discharge cells selected in the address period. The sustain electrode driving circuit drives the sustain electrode by applying first voltage to the sustain electrode in the initializing period and applying second voltage to the sustain electrode in the address period. The sustain electrode driving circuit varies the value of the second voltage in response to the cumulative time measured by the cumulative time measuring circuit.

Abstract: An image display method for allowing an image display device having a large number of pixels arrayed in a planar form to perform an image display by forming one field period from plural sub-fields for which luminance weights to be displayed are determined, and choosing plural luminances among displayable luminances as luminances for display by combining the luminance weights of the sub-fields, so that the respective pixels are controlled not to emit light or to emit light in each sub-field correspondingly to the luminances for display to be displayed. At least one threshold value is set, and when a pixel is allowed to emit light at a luminance for display at or higher than a first threshold value, which is the smallest threshold value, the pixel is controlled not to emit light constantly or to emit light constantly in a sub-field having the smallest luminance weight.

Abstract: A method for driving a plasma display panel including discharge cells at the intersections of data electrodes D1 to Dm and pairs of scan electrodes SC1 to SCn and sustain electrodes SU1 to SUn. One field period is composed of a plurality of subfields each including a wrting period and a sustain period. During the wrting period, a wrting discharge is generated in a selected one of the discharge cells. During the sustain period, a sustain discharge is generated in the selected discharge cell. The voltage to be applied to sustain electrodes SU1 to SUn in the wrting period of the subfield having the lowest display luminance of all the subfields is set higher than the voltage to be applied to sustain electrodes SU1 to SUn in the wrting period of the subfields other than the subfield having the lowest display luminance.

Abstract: A method for driving a plasma display panel is provided, wherein one field period is structured of a plurality of subfields having a write period for generating write discharges selectively in the discharge cells, and a sustain period for generating the number of times of sustain discharges according to brightness levels in the discharge cells which have generated the write discharges, and in the sustain period, after voltage to generate the last sustain discharge is applied to the display electrode pairs, at time intervals according to the lighting rate of the discharge cells in the subfield, voltage to ease the voltage difference between the electrodes of the display electrode pairs is applied to the display electrode pairs. According to such a structure, it is possible to generate stable write discharges, without increasing voltage necessary for generating the write discharges, even with a large size and high brightness panel.

Abstract: A driving method of a plasma display panel with discharge cells formed at intersections of scanning electrodes SC1 through SCn and sustaining electrodes SU1 through SUn with data electrodes D1 through Dm includes setting a voltage applied to sustaining electrodes SU1 through SUn in a writing period of a sub-field whose brightness weight is lowest of a plurality of sub-fields to be higher than a voltage applied to sustaining electrodes SU1 through SUn in a writing period of other sub-fields, and, when whether each of the sub-fields emit or not emit light is controlled to display a desired gradation at a discharge cell, letting a discharge cell that displays a gradation higher than a first threshold value emit even in a sub-field whose brightness weight is lowest.