Continuous illumination plasma display panel

• US 6,507,327 B1
• Filed: 01/21/2000
• Issued: 01/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sarnoff Corporation (SRI International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sarnoff Corporation (SRI International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Atherton, James Harold, Kane, Michael Gillis
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Henry N.
• Application Number:
  US09/490,012
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 345/60-63, 345/66-68, 345/204, 345/214, 345/690-692, 315/169.1, 315/169.2, 315/169.4
• US Class Current: 345/68
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0216 Interleaved control phases for different scan lines in the same sub-field, e.g. initialization, addressing and sustaining in plasma displays that are not simultaneous for all scan lines
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0209 Crosstalk reduction, i.e. to reduce direct or indirect influences of signals directed to a certain pixel of the displayed image on other pixels of said image, inclusive of influences affecting pixels in different frames or fields or sub-images which constitute a same image, e.g. left and right images of a stereoscopic display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/293 for address discharge
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/294 for lighting or sustain discharge
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2986 with more than 3 electrodes involved in the operation

Abstract

A three electrode plasma display panel (PDP) operates in concurrent sustain and addressing periods, rather than separating the sustain and addressing periods. Because of this concurrent operation, a PDP with a brighter display is produced. Crosstalk between sustain electrodes and the column electrodes of non-selected rows is mitigated by implementing column voltages such that there is no difference in crosstalk brightness levels in non-addressed pixels in the on state compared to non-addressed pixels in the off state. This is accomplished by choosing column voltages that are approximately symmetric about one-half of the sustain voltage.

Claims

1. method of addressing a plasma display panel having a plurality of row electrode pairs, each row electrode pair comprising a first row electrode and second row electrode;

a plurality of column electrodes; and

a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising one of the plurality of row electrode pairs and one of the plurality of column electrodes;

the method comprising the steps of;

(a) selecting a plurality of pixels by selecting one row electrode pair of the plurality of row electrode pairs by providing a scan signal and a reference signal to respective row electrodes of the one row electrode pair;

(b) providing one of a first data voltage and a second data voltage on each column electrode of the plurality of column electrodes to store data values into the plurality of selected pixels; and

(c) providing respective first and second sustain signals, having a sustain signal amplitude, to respective row electrodes of each row electrode pair of the plurality of row electrode pairs which is not selected, wherein the sustain signal amplitude and the first and second data voltages are selected to provide approximately equal amounts of crosstalk illumination on the pixels of the display.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first data voltage, the second data voltage, and the sustain signal amplitude are related by a formula:

$\frac{V_{\mathrm{sus}}}{2}-V_{\mathrm{d1}}\approx <br><br>V_{\mathrm{d0}}-\frac{V_{\mathrm{sus}}}{2},\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{wherein}$

V_sus is the sustain signal amplitude,

V_d0 is the first data voltage; and

V_d1 is the second data voltage.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the reference voltage is zero volts, the scan signal has a peak amplitude of 285 volts, V_sus is 170 volts, V_d0 is 115 volts and V_d1 is 55 volts.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the display device displays multi-bit pixel values having varying gray scale by displaying each bit of the multi-bit pixel value in a respectively different sub-field of an image frame, and the method further includes the steps of:

analyzing the multi-bit pixel values to be displayed in a column of the display panel to determine an amount of crosstalk illumination applied to each pixel in the column; and

modifying each multi-bit pixel value in the column to compensate for the determined amount of crosstalk illumination.

5. A method according to claim 1, further including the steps of:

analyzing the data voltages to be used for each selected row of one column of the plurality of columns of the display panel during one frame interval to determine an amount of crosstalk illumination provided to pixels corresponding to rows which are not selected as all of the rows in the display panel are selected; and

operating the first and second data voltages to provide a target amount of crosstalk illumination to each pixel in the column during the one frame interval.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the display device includes a sustain phase where the first and second sustain signals are applied to all pairs of row electrodes in the display panel and no pair of row electrodes is selected, and the step of operating the first and second data voltages includes the step of operating the first and second data voltages during the sustain phase on the one column to provide the target amount of crosstalk illumination to each pixel in the column.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein the step of operating the first and second display voltages includes the step of adjusting the first and second display voltages in amplitude to produce the target amount of crosstalk illumination in each pixel of the column.

8. display apparatus having a plurality of row electrode pairs, each row electrode pair comprising a first row electrode and second row electrode;

a plurality of column electrodes; and

a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising one of the plurality of row electrode pairs and one of the plurality of column electrodes;

the apparatus comprising;

means for selecting a plurality of pixels by selecting one row electrode pair of the plurality of row electrode pairs by providing a scan signal and a reference signal to respective row electrodes of the one row electrode pair;

means for providing one of a first data voltage and a second data voltage on each column electrode of the plurality of column electrodes to store data values into the plurality of selected pixels; and

means for providing respective first and second sustain signals, having a sustain signal amplitude, to respective row electrodes of each row electrode pair of the plurality of row electrode pairs which is not selected, wherein the first and second is data voltages and the sustain signal amplitude are selected to provide approximately equal amounts of crosstalk illumination on the pixels of the display.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first data voltage, the second data voltage, and the sustain signal amplitude are related by a formula:

$\frac{V_{\mathrm{sus}}}{2}-V_{\mathrm{d1}}\approx <br><br>V_{\mathrm{d0}}-\frac{V_{\mathrm{sus}}}{2},\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{wherein}$

V_sus is the sustain signal amplitude,

V_d0 is the first data voltage; and

V_d1 is the second data voltage.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the reference voltage is zero volts, the scan signal has a peak amplitude of 285 volts, V_sus is 170 volts, V_d0 is 115 volts and V_d1 is 55 volts.

11. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the display device displays multi-bit pixel values having varying gray scale by displaying each bit of the multi-bit pixel value in a respectively different sub-field of an image frame, and the apparatus further includes:

means for analyzing the multi-bit pixel values to be displayed in a column of the display panel to determine an amount of crosstalk illumination applied to each pixel in the column; and

means for modifying each multi-bit pixel value in the column to compensate for the determined amount of crosstalk illumination.

12. Apparatus according to claim 8, further including:

means for analyzing the data voltages to be used for each selected row of one column of the plurality of columns of the display panel during one frame interval to determine an amount of crosstalk illumination provided to pixels corresponding to rows which are not selected as all of the rows in the display panel are selected; and

means operating the first and second data voltages to provide a target amount of crosstalk illumination to each pixel in the column during the one frame interval.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the display device includes a sustain phase where the first and second sustain signals are applied to all pairs of row electrodes in the display panel and no pair of row electrodes is selected, and the means for operating the first and second data voltages includes means for operating the first and second data voltages during the sustain phase on the one column to provide the target amount of crosstalk illumination to each pixel in the column.

14. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the means for operating the first and second display voltages includes means for adjusting the first and second display voltages in amplitude to produce the target amount of crosstalk illumination in each pixel of the column.

15. A plasma display apparatus having a plurality of row electrode pairs, each row electrode pair comprising a first row electrode and second row electrode;

a plurality of column electrodes; and

a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising one of the plurality of row electrode pairs and one of the plurality of column electrodes;

the apparatus comprising;

a sustain signal generator which provides respective first and second sustain signals, having a sustain signal amplitude;

a row select circuit which selects one row electrode pair of the plurality of row electrode pairs and provides a scan signal and a reference signal to respective row electrodes of the one row electrode pair and which provides the first and second sustain signals to respective row electrodes of each row electrode pair of the plurality of row electrode pairs which is not selected, said first and second sustain signals being provided continuously to said row electrode pairs which are not selected while the one row electrode pair is selected; and

a column driver circuit which provides one of a first data voltage and a second data voltage on each column electrode of the plurality of column electrodes to store data values into the plurality of selected pixels.

16. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the first and second data voltages and the sustain signal amplitude are selected to provide approximately equal amounts of crosstalk illumination on the pixels of the display.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the first data voltage, the second data voltage, and the sustain signal amplitude are related by a formula:

$\frac{V_{\mathrm{sus}}}{2}-V_{\mathrm{d1}}\approx <br><br>V_{\mathrm{d0}}-\frac{V_{\mathrm{sus}}}{2},\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{wherein}$

V_sus is the sustain signal amplitude,

V_d0 is the first data voltage; and

V_d1 is the second data voltage.

18. Apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the reference voltage is zero volts, the scan signal has a peak amplitude of 285 volts, V_sus is 170 volts, V_d0 is 115 volts and V_d1 is 55 volts.

19. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the display device displays multi-bit pixel values having varying gray scale by displaying each bit of the multi-bit pixel value in a respectively different sub-field of an image frame, and the apparatus further includes a processor that analyzes the multi-bit pixel values to be displayed in a column of the display panel to determine an amount of crosstalk illumination applied to each pixel in the column and that modifies each multi-bit pixel value in the column to compensate for the determined amount of crosstalk illumination.

20. Apparatus according to claim 15, further including a processor that analyzes the data voltages to be used for each selected row of one column of the plurality of columns of the display panel during one frame interval to determine an amount of crosstalk illumination provided to pixels corresponding to rows which are not selected as all of the rows in the display panel are selected and that operates the first and second data voltages to provide a target amount of crosstalk illumination to each pixel in the column during the one frame interval.

21. Apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the display device includes a sustain phase where the first and second sustain signals are applied to all pairs of row electrodes in the display panel and no pair of row electrodes is selected, and the processor applies the first and second data voltages during the sustain phase on the one column to provide the target amount of crosstalk illumination to each pixel in the column.

22. Apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the processor adjusts the first and second display voltages in amplitude to produce the target amount of crosstalk illumination in each pixel of the column.

23. A display apparatus comprising:

a plurality of row electrode pairs, each one of the plurality of row electrode pairs having a first row electrode and second row electrode;

a plurality of column electrodes,

a plurality of pixels, each one of the plurality of pixels comprising one of the plurality of electrode pairs and one of the plurality of column electrodes;

a plurality of multiplexer pairs, each one of the plurality of multiplexer pairs having a first multiplexer and a second multiplexer, each multiplexer having a first input connector, a second input connector, a control connector, and an output connector, wherein the output connector of the first multiplexer of each of the plurality of multiplexer pairs is electrically coupled to the first row electrode of one of the plurality of row electrode pairs and the output connector of the second multiplexer of each of the plurality of multiplexer pairs is electrically coupled to the second row electrode of one of the plurality of row electrode pairs, such that each output connector is electrically coupled to only one row electrode and each row electrode is electrically coupled to only one output connector;

a shift register electrically coupled to the multiplexer control connectors for providing control signals,

a first sustaining signal electrically coupled to the first input connector of every first multiplexer,

a second sustaining signal electrically coupled to the first input connector of every second multiplexer,

a scan signal electrically coupled to the second input connector of every first multiplexer; and

a reference signal electrically coupled to the second input connector of every second multiplexer.