JPH01267695A - Driving method for gas discharge display panel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To set the width of a pulse and a voltage to optimum values with which the largest light emission efficiency is obtained by widening the pulse width of one or more starting pulses in the voltage pulse train of a discharging maintaining part. CONSTITUTION:The gas discharge display panel 31 is encircled with a broken line and cathodes 4 are connected to cathode leads 2 which are wired horizontally through resistances 3 and further connected to cathode driving circuits 14. Anodes 10 are connected to anode leads 12 which are wired horizontally and further connected to anode driving circuits 16. The discharge start voltage of pulse discharge depends upon the quantity of charge quasi-stable exciting seeds remaining between electrodes at the time of voltage application and the time width of voltage pulses, so when the quantity of remaining charges is small, the time required for discharge growth becomes long even by applying the same voltage. For the purpose, the pulse width is made long in matching with the discharge growth time and then the discharge start voltage can be held constant. Consequently, the pulse width of maintaining pulses and the voltage can be set to the optimum values with which the largest light emission efficiency is obtained.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a gas discharge display panel for displaying one character and two images, which is constructed of a discharge display element that utilizes visible light or ultraviolet light that generates gas discharge. This relates to a driving method.

[Conventional technology]

A conventional method for driving a gas discharge display panel is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 101594/1983.

This driving method is roughly divided into a discharge starting section and a discharge sustaining section. In the discharge starting part, in order to lower the discharge starting voltage,
A voltage pulse with a relatively long time width is used to absorb jitter in the rise of the discharge current. On the other hand, since the luminous efficiency of the gas discharge display panel is higher when discharge is performed using a voltage pulse train with a short duration, such a voltage pulse train is used in the discharge sustaining section. Using a voltage pulse train also has the advantage of making use of the memory effect of discharge.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The voltage value and pulse width of the voltage pulse of the discharge sustaining section are determined by two conditions. The first is that a pulse discharge can be generated by taking over the residual charge of the discharge that occurred at the discharge start part, and the second is that the pulse discharge can be maintained.

Consider the second condition. Determining the pulse width also determines the voltage value required to maintain the pulse discharge. In order to increase luminous efficiency and due to the constraints of the drive circuit, we want to set the voltage to the minimum required value.

However, if the pulse width and voltage value are set in this way, the first condition may not be satisfied. That is, since there is not a sufficient amount of residual charge generated at the discharge start section, discharge may not occur due to the first voltage pulse of the discharge sustain section. In such a case, it is necessary to set the pulse width and voltage value to be larger than the pulse width and voltage value determined from the second condition, which is not preferable because it reduces the luminous efficiency.

[Means for Solving Problem a1] In the present invention, the above problem is solved by widening the pulse width of the first one or several pulses in the voltage pulse train of the discharge sustaining section.

[Effect]

The voltage at which the pulse discharge starts to be discharged depends on the charge remaining between the electrodes when the voltage is applied, the amount of stable excited species, and the time width of the voltage pulse. If there is little residual charge, the time required for discharge growth will be longer even if the same voltage is applied. Therefore, by increasing the pulse width to match the discharge growth time, the discharge starting voltage can be kept constant.

On the other hand, the luminous efficiency of a gas discharge display panel using pulsed discharge decreases if the pulse width is too wide. However, under normal operating conditions, for one discharge starting voltage pulse,
Since there are several hundred discharge sustaining voltage pulses, increasing the width of the first few pulses has little effect on the overall luminous efficiency.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a discharge cell in a gas discharge display panel according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the electrode wiring in the panel and the connection of the drive circuit, and FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the output waveform of each drive circuit. It is a diagram.

The structure of the panel will be explained using FIG. A spacer 8 for forming a discharge space is sandwiched between an insulating substrate 1 made of soda glass or ceramic or the like and a translucent face plate 11 made of soda glass or the like. It can be used by laminating layers of glass, or by etching photosensitive glass. On the insulating substrate 1 are II three-pole leads 2. Resistance: 3. A nickel conductor 40 and a barium cathode 4 covering it are formed by a JV film printing method or the like. An anode 10 is formed on the transparent face plate 11 by a thick film printing method or the like. An auxiliary anode 5 is provided in the auxiliary discharge space 6, and generates an auxiliary discharge between it and the barium cathode 4. The auxiliary anode 5 is formed by printing and firing a nickel paste on the spacer 8, or by using a gold a-wire. The auxiliary anode 5 and the anode lead 2 are arranged to intersect with each other to form a matrix. The wall surface of the display discharge space 7 is coated with phosphor 9, and 1 display anode 1010-1l3
For example, if a cell is made of one color and phosphors that emit light in red, green, and blue are painted separately, it is possible to display images on a color television. In the gas discharge display panel configured as described above, each discharge space is further airtightly isolated from the outside world by Xc.

It is completed after one or more rare gases such as Ar, He, Ne, Kr, etc. are mixed and sealed.

The third session shows the wiring of the electrode wiring within the panel and the drive circuit. Inside the broken line is the gas discharge display panel 31.
The cathode 4 is connected via a resistor 3 to a cathode lead 2 which is wired in the horizontal direction Ji, and is further connected to a cathode drive circuit 14. The cathode 10 is.

It is connected to an anode lead 12 that is wired horizontally.

Furthermore, in FIG. 1, VAz, VAz, and V^3 are connected to the anode drive circuit 16, respectively. Second. This is a voltage waveform applied to the third anode lead, and is generated by the anode drive circuit 16. VKI.

V K 2 and V K 3 are each 4th 1st. Second. The voltage waveform applied to the third cathode drive circuit 13
Occurs in VSI, VS2. Vsa is the 1st. The voltage waveform applied to the second and third auxiliary pnI poles is generated in the auxiliary anode drive circuit 14 - t 1 < t <
t2. Since the cathode pulse 23 is applied in between, an auxiliary anode-cathode discharge occurs in the cell above KL. At this time, since an auxiliary anode pulse is applied to the discharge cells (Kl, Sl) and (Kl, S3), the current changes to an anode-cathode open current. Regarding this discharge transition, for example, JP-A-52-
It is described in Publication No. 123125. In a discharge cell where an anode-cathode discharge has occurred, a subsequent voltage pulse 20 applied to the anode initiates a discharge between the anode and cathode due to the pilot effect of the residual charge. Wide anode pulse 20
Although three are written in Figure 1, there are cases where only one is sufficient, and there are cases where about 10 are required. The pulse width of the wide anode pulse 20 is suitably about 0.5 to 2 .mu.s, but is not limited to this, and this optimum value varies depending on the panel structure. Furthermore, the display discharge is maintained between the anode and the cathode by the sustain pulse 21 that is continuously applied. The pulse width of the sustain pulse 21 is set to 0.2 to 0.5.
When set to approximately μs, the luminous efficiency of the gas discharge display panel becomes high. This display discharge continues until the sustain pulse 21 disappears.

Therefore, the cells in which display discharge is occurring at time t10 are (KL, SL) and (Kl, S3).

There are four cells: (K2.S2) and (K3, 82).

If the wiring of the anode leads 12 in the gas discharge display panel is arranged as shown in FIG. 4, and the phases of the cathode pulses 20 and 21 are shifted between adjacent anode leads as shown in FIG. Because the pulse phase shifts in the discharge cell,
The number of crosses between cells (1-1) is reduced, and the operating margin is expanded.

In this embodiment, the wide anode pulse 20 and the sustaining pulse 21 have the same voltage, but they may have different voltages. However, setting the voltages to be equal has the advantage that the power supply can be shared and the circuit configuration can be made q1 pure.

Further, in this embodiment, the wide pulse 20 is applied only to the anode 10, but it may be applied separately to the anode and the cathode.

Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to a gas discharge display panel having two types of ffi poles.

〔Effect of the invention〕

In this way, the pulse width and voltage of the sustain pulse 21 are reduced to 1
It becomes possible to set the optimum value so that the luminous efficiency is maximized.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the drive circuit output waveform in one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a discharge cell of the gas discharge display panel of this embodiment, and Fig. 3 is the wiring inside the panel and the drive circuit connection. FIG. 4 is an in-panel anode lead wiring diagram in another embodiment. 20...Broad anode pulse, 21...Sustain pulse, 2
2... Auxiliary anode pulse, 23... Cathode pulse. \Next・-Z ＼--l Exposed l Prisoner 25・Kagosehara0rus vJ z Mouth No. 42

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A method for driving a gas discharge display panel that has at least three types of electrode groups and is filled with a dischargeable gas, in which discharge is started with a voltage pulse with a long duration, and In the driving method of maintaining the discharge with a short voltage pulse train, between the long voltage pulse and the short voltage pulse train, a voltage pulse or a voltage pulse train with a time width intermediate between the two is applied between the electrodes. A method for driving a gas discharge display panel, comprising: applying a voltage to the gas discharge display panel. 2. A method for driving a gas discharge display panel in which discharge cells having at least three electrodes are arranged in a matrix, in which a voltage pulse for starting a discharge with a long duration and a voltage pulse for maintaining a discharge with a short duration 2. The method of driving a gas discharge display panel according to claim 1, wherein the applied voltage pulse or voltage pulse train having an intermediate time width is applied with different phases between adjacent electrodes.