Source: http://www.google.com/patents/USRE43083?dq=5,870,513
Timestamp: 2014-09-21 14:35:12
Document Index: 351493719

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'art 4', 'arts 4', 'Application No. 200810108723']

Patent USRE43083 - Gas dischargeable panel - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign in<nobr>Advanced Patent Search</nobr>PatentsA gas discharge panel includes a first substrate and a second substrate. A plurality of display electrode pairs which are each made up of a sustain electrode and a scan electrode are formed on the first substrate, and the first substrate and the second substrate are set facing each other with a plurality...http://www.google.com/patents/USRE43083?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent USRE43083 - Gas dischargeable panelAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUSRE43083 E1Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 12/043,881PCT numberPCT/JP2001/007049Publication dateJan 10, 2012Filing dateAug 16, 2001Priority dateAug 18, 2000Fee statusPaidAlso published asCN1470064A, CN100538969C, CN101303950A, CN101303950B, CN101303951A, CN101303951B, US7009587, US20040032215, WO2002017345A1Publication number043881, 12043881, PCT/2001/7049, PCT/JP/1/007049, PCT/JP/1/07049, PCT/JP/2001/007049, PCT/JP/2001/07049, PCT/JP1/007049, PCT/JP1/07049, PCT/JP1007049, PCT/JP107049, PCT/JP2001/007049, PCT/JP2001/07049, PCT/JP2001007049, PCT/JP200107049, US RE43083 E1, US RE43083E1, US-E1-RE43083, USRE43083 E1, USRE43083E1InventorsMasaki Nishimura, Hidetaka Higashino, Ryuichi Murai, Yusuke Takata, Nobuaki Nagao, Toru Ando, Naoki Kosugi, Hiroyuki TachibanaOriginal AssigneePanasonic CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (44), Non-Patent Citations (1), Classifications (33), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetGas dischargeable panelUS RE43083 E1Abstract A gas discharge panel includes a first substrate and a second substrate. A plurality of display electrode pairs which are each made up of a sustain electrode and a scan electrode are formed on the first substrate, and the first substrate and the second substrate are set facing each other with a plurality of barrier ribs in between so as to form a plurality of cells. In this gas discharge panel, at least one of the sustain electrode and the scan electrode includes: a plurality of line parts; and a discharge developing part which makes a gap between adjacent line parts smaller in areas corresponding to channels between adjacent barrier ribs than in areas corresponding to the barrier ribs.
1. A gas discharge panel in which phosphor layers corresponding to three colors of red, green, and blue are formed one by one in a plurality of cells, with a plurality of display electric pairs made up of a sustain electrode and a scan electrode arranged so as to cross the plurality of cells, the improvementsaid panel comprising:
wherein the sustain electrode and the scan electrode each have at least three line parts, and in each cell which requires a lower drive voltage among the plurality of cells, the connector part is positioned farther from the main discharge gap.
a discharge accelerating part located between line parts of the sustain electrodes and/or the scan electrodes in a plurality of cells;, wherein the plurality of line parts, with the discharge accelerating part are spaced relatively to form a main discharge gap in each cell so that only a single peak discharge current waveform is needed for driving the sustain electrode and scan electrode in each cell.
the gas discharge panel of claim 14; wherein a first substrate on which the plurality of sustain electrodes and the plurality of scan electrodes are formed is set facing a second substrate on which a plurality of address electrodes are formed; and
22. A gas discharge panel in which a plurality of display electrode pairs that are each made up of a sustain electrode and a scan electrode are arranged so as to cross a plurality of cells arranged along a longitudinal direction of the gas discharge panel, a main discharge gap existing between a sustain electrode and a scan electrode in each pair, wherein:
the sustain electrode and the scan electrode each have (a) a plurality of line parts and (b) a connector part which connects at least two line parts out of the plurality of line parts in each of the plurality of cells. 23. The gas discharge panel of claim 22, wherein
a plurality of barrier ribs are provided to separate the display electrodes in the longitudinal direction, and each connector part is provided in a cell sandwiched between two adjacent barrier ribs. 24. The gas discharge panel of claim 22, wherein
the sustain electrode and the scan electrode occupy less than 40% of a cell area of each of the plurality of cells. 25. The gas discharge panel of claim 22, wherein
in each sustain electrode and each scan electrode each, line parts other than a line part that is closest to the main discharge gap are wider than the line part that is closest to the main discharge gap. 26. The gas discharge panel of claim 22, wherein
the sustain electrode and the scan electrode each have two, three or four line parts. 27. A gas discharge display device comprising the gas discharge panel of claim 22, wherein
a first substrate and a second substrate have been set to face each other, the plurality of display electrode pairs being formed on the first substrate, a plurality of address electrodes being formed on the second substrate, and a drive device, which drives the plurality of display electrode pairs and the plurality of address electrodes, has been connected to the gas discharge panel. 28. The gas discharge display device of claim 27, wherein
a voltage whose waveform has a gentle slope is applied to the scan electrode in a set-up period. 29. The gas discharge display device of claim 28, wherein
a voltage change of the slope is in a range of �10 V/μs. 30. A gas discharge panel in which a plurality of display electrode pairs that are each made up of a sustain electrode and a scan electrode are arranged so as to cross a plurality of cells, a main discharge gap existing between a sustain electrode and a scan electrode in each pair, wherein
the sustain electrode and the scan electrode each have (a) a plurality of line parts and (b) one or more projections each of which projects toward the main discharge gap from a side of a line part that faces toward the main discharge gap. 31. The gas discharge panel of claim 30, wherein
the sustain electrode and the scan electrode each have at least two projections that face each other via the main discharge gap. 32. The gas discharge panel of claim 30, wherein
the sustain electrode and the scan electrode each have a connector part which connects at least two adjacent line parts out of the plurality of line parts in each of the plurality of cells. 33. The gas discharge panel of claim 32, wherein
phosphor layers of red, green, and blue are formed one by one in a plurality of cells, the sustain electrode and the scan electrode each have at least three line parts, and a distance between the connector part and the main discharge gap in each cell increases in an order of red, green, and blue. 34. The gas discharge panel of claim 32, wherein
some of the plurality of cells differ from the remaining cells in a cell width along the longitudinal direction, the sustain electrode and the scan electrode each have at least three line parts, and in each cell, the connector part is closer to the main discharge gap as the cell width is smaller. 35. The gas discharge panel of claim 32, wherein
phosphor layers of red, green, and blue are formed one by one in a plurality of cells, the sustain electrode and the scan electrode each have at least three line parts, and in cells corresponding to phosphor layers of one of red, green, and blue, the connector part is closer to the -main discharge gap as a luminance of phosphor is smaller. 36. The gas discharge panel of claim 32, wherein
the sustain electrode and the scan electrode each have at least three line parts, and in each cell which requires a lower drive voltage if the connector is not provided, the connector part is positioned farther from the main discharge gap. 37. The gas discharge panel of claim 32, wherein
a plurality of barrier ribs are provided to separate the display electrodes in the longitudinal direction, and each connector part is provided in a cell sandwiched between two adjacent barrier ribs. 38. The gas discharge panel of claim 32, wherein
the connector part is provided in a central part of a cell. 39. The gas discharge panel of claim 32, wherein
the plurality of display electrode pairs are arranged along a row direction of the panel, and a line part of a scan electrode or a sustain electrode in each of two display electrode pairs that are adjacent in the row direction is shared by the two display electrode pairs. 40. The gas discharge panel of claim 32, wherein
in each sustain electrode and in teach scan electrode, the connector part branches as the connector part is farther from the main discharge gap. 41. The gas discharge panel of claim 32, wherein
in each sustain electrode and in each scan electrode, the connector part includes a discharge developing part that is provided along a longitudinal direction of the display electrodes in a cell. 42. The gas discharge panel of claim 32, wherein
the sustain electrode and the scan electrode each have at least three line parts, and the line parts are connected by the connector part in a straight line along a width direction thereof. 43. The gas discharge panel of claim 30, wherein
the sustain electrode and the scan electrode each have a projection that projects from a side of a line part toward a side of another line part among the plurality of line parts. 44. The gas discharge panel of claim 30, wherein
in each cell, a length of the projection in the longitudinal direction of the line parts is 50% or less of a cell width in the longitudinal direction. 45. The gas discharge panel of claim 30, wherein
in each cell, a length of the projection in the longitudinal direction of the line parts is 20% or less of a cell width in the longitudinal direction. 46. The gas discharge panel of claim 30, wherein
the projection is in a shape of a triangle, a quadrilateral, wave, or a letter T. 47. The gas discharge panel of claim 30, wherein
the sustain electrode and the scan electrode each have at least three line parts, and a line part among the line parts has two projections that project from two sides thereof toward sides of adjacent line parts that face the two sides thereof, respectively. 48. The gas discharge panel of claim 43, wherein
a distance between the projection and a line part facing the projection is equal to or less than the main discharge gap. 49. The gas discharge panel of claim 43, wherein
a distance between the projection and a line part facing the projection is equal to or less than a half of the main discharge gap. 50. The gas discharge panel of claim 43, wherein
a plurality of barrier ribs are provided to separate the display electrodes in the longitudinal direction, and each projection is provided in a cell sandwiched between two adjacent barrier ribs. 51. The gas discharge panel of claim 43, wherein
a plurality of barrier ribs are provided to separate the display electrodes in the longitudinal direction, the line parts are arranged so as to cross the barrier ribs, and one or more line parts among the line parts have a wide projection which is larger than each barrier rib in width, and each wide projection is provided at a region where a line part crosses a barrier rib such that each wide projection overlaps with the barrier rib and protrudes into a cell. 52. The gas discharge panel of claim 32, wherein
the sustain electrode and the scan electrode each are a metal electrode. 53. The gas discharge panel of claim 52, wherein
the metal electrode either has a layered structure of Cr/Cu/Cr or is made of one or more materials selected from a group consisting of Ag, Pt, Au, Al, Ni and Cr. 54. The gas discharge panel of claim 53, wherein
the sustain electrode and the scan electrode occupy less than 40% of a cell area of each of the plurality of cells. 55. The gas discharge panel of claim 54, wherein
in each sustain electrode and each scan electrode each, line parts other than a line part that is closest to the main discharge gap are wider than the line part that is closest to the main discharge gap. 56. The gas discharge panel of claim 55, wherein
the sustain electrode and the scan electrode each have two, three or four line parts. 57. The gas discharge panel of claim 56, wherein
the sustain electrode and the scan electrode each have at least three line parts, and a distance between any two adjacent line parts is narrower as the two adjacent line parts are farther from the main discharge gap. Description
In addition, to secure the current supply path even if the divided electrode parts are partially disconnected and also to reduce the overall resistance of the electrode, it may be desirable to electrically connect the divided electrode parts. For instance, connectors of about 50 μm in width can be provided above the barrier ribs to connect the divided electrode parts to each other. According to this method, however, the precision of bonding the front panel FP and the back panel BP together becomes strict around 10-20 μm, which makes stable production more difficult. Furthermore, if fewer connectors are used, the overall resistance of the electrode increases. This causes a voltage drop, thereby making it difficult to drive the PDP.
The panel of the first embodiment is characterized in that at least one of the scan electrode 4 and the sustain electrode 5 which form each pair is divided into three parts. A part that is closest to the other electrode of the pair is a line part 4a (5a). The distance between the line part 4a (5a) and the other electrode is a main discharge gap Dgap. The main discharge gap Dgap represents the shortest distance between the scan electrode 4 and the sustain electrode 5. Discharge starts in this main discharge gap Dgap, and spreads throughout the scan electrode 4 and the sustain electrode 5. A part that is located far from the main discharge gap Dgap is a line part 4b (5b) which is a discharge end part that defines the spreading range of the discharge. A part that connects the line part 4a (5a) to the line part 4b (5b) is a connector part 4ab (5ab) which is a discharge developing part. This connector part is provided in each cell.
The connector part 4ab (5ab) is formed so that the gap between the line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) is smaller in the areas corresponding to channels between adjacent barrier ribs 8 than in the areas corresponding to the barrier ribs 8 (in the present example, the gap between the line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) in the areas corresponding to the channels between adjacent barrier ribs 8 is 0).
Cells that are adjacent in the x direction have the same line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) but have separate connector parts 4ab (5ab).
Here, it is desirable to situate the connector part 4ab (5ab) at the center of each cell. In this way, a margin for displacements which may occur when bonding the front panel FP and the back panel BP together can be obtained.
If the construction of the back panel BP is not perpendicular to the barrier ribs 8, displacements in the direction along the barrier ribs 8 can be ignored. On the other hand, a margin for displacements in the x direction is determined by the width of the connector part 4ab (5ab).
Suppose a connector part that is perpendicular to the scan electrode 4 is provided in the area corresponding to the barrier rib 8, as in the case of Japanese Patent No. 2734405 mentioned earlier. Since the width of the connector part and the width of the barrier rib 8 are both about 50 μm, a displacement of around 10-20 μm can result in a change in characteristics.
In view of this, the width of the connector part 4ab (5ab) is set to be at least 100 μm smaller than the smallest distance Wcell between adjacent barrier ribs 8 in FIG. 1. This provides a margin of about �50 μm for displacements in the x direction.
The use of the same line part 4a (5a) across the adjacent cells in the x direction has the following two effects. The first effect is to decrease the resistance of the line part 4a (5a). A construction of providing a separate discharge starting part for each individual cell is known as exemplified by Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H08-250030. According to such a construction, however, the resistance of each discharge starting part increases. This causes a voltage drop, which increases the discharge firing voltage.
The second effect is to facilitate the bonding of the front panel FP and the back panel BP. As is clear from FIG. 1, there is no need to consider displacements of the line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b).
In each cell between two adjacent barrier ribs 8, the scan electrode 4 (sustain electrode 5) is made up of two thin line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) and a connector part 4ab (5ab) that electrically connects these two line parts.
The two line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) are coupled together at both ends of the scan electrode 4 (sustain electrode 5) (not illustrated), so that the same voltage is applied to the two line parts.
As one example, the size of each part is the following. The cell width P in the y direction is 1.08 mm. The main discharge gap Dgap is 80 μm. The line part width in the y direction is 40 μm. The distance between the two line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) is 80 μm. Each of the display electrodes 4 and 5 is made using a metal material (e.g. Ag or Cr/Cu/Cr). The use of Ag as the metal material allows the reflectivity to increase and the loss of visible light to be suppressed, and so contributes to higher illumination efficiency.
In both cases, discharge starts in the main discharge gap Dgap. The discharge that starts in the main discharge gap Dgap, i.e., the gap between the line parts 4a and 5a, grows spatially with time and eventually spreads throughout the display electrodes 4 and 5.
The line parts such as 4b and 4d (5b and 5d) that are far from the main discharge gap Dgap perform discharge through the use of the priming of the discharge of the inner line part. This being so, if there is a substantial distance between line parts, the priming effect is difficult to reach. Unless strong discharge is generated, the discharge cannot reach the outermost line part. Hence the drive voltage needs to be raised.
In FIG. 2C, on the other hand, the growth of discharge is more continuous as can be understood from FIG. 2D, because the connector part 4c (5c) that connects the line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) is present. The discharge that starts at the line part 4a (5a) grows through the connector part 4c (5c) to the line part 4b (5b). This growth is continuous, and so a lower drive voltage than that of FIG. 2A is sufficient.
Each of the display electrodes 4 and 5 can be formed using a metal electrode or a transparent electrode whose major component is a metal oxide. To decrease resistance, however, it is desirable to form at least the line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) using a metal electrode.
FIG. 3A is a graph showing the correlation between the widths of the line parts 4a, 4b, 5a, and 5b and the panel luminance. The widths of the line parts 4a, 4b, 5a, and 5b are denoted by W4a, W4b, W5a, and W5b respectively.
As illustrated, the panel luminance begins to drop when the width W4b (W5b) of the line part 4b (5b) where the discharge substantially ends becomes 120 μm or more. This drop in panel luminance is mainly caused by a decrease in opening ratio due to the widened line part. Which is to say, the panel luminance depends on the cell opening ratio, i.e., the ratio of the line part area to the cell area.
When the width W4b (W5b) of the line part 4b (5b) which is the discharge end part is 120 μm, the line part 4b (5b) occupies about 40% of the cell area. Therefore, it is desirable to limit the area of the line part 4b (5b) to less than 40% of the cell area, in view of FIGS. 3A and 3B.
Thus, the PDP of the first embodiment achieves excellent display performance and illumination efficiency, by forming the display electrode 4 (5) from the line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) and the connector part 4ab (5ab) to thereby reduce the electrode area and also ensure a single-peak discharge current waveform.
A photoresist (photodegradable resin) is mixed with a metal (Ag) powder and an organic vehicle to create a photosensitive paste. This photosensitive paste is applied to one main surface of the front panel glass, and a mask having a desired display electrode pattern is placed on top of that. Light is applied onto the mask to develop and bake (a baking temperature of around 590-600� C.). In this way, a line width as small as about 30 μm can be realized when compared with a conventional screen printing method whose limit is a line width of 100 μm. Here, other metal materials such as Pt, Au, Ag, Al, Ni, Cr, tin oxide, and indium oxide may instead be used.
The first embodiment describes the case where one connector part 4ab (5ab) is provided in each cell, but this is not a limit for the invention. For instance, two connector parts 4ab (5ab) may be provided in each cell, as shown in FIG. 4 (modification 1-1). This allows a wider discharge space to be used for discharge.
In the first embodiment, the discharge which starts at the line part 4a (5a) grows through the connector part 4ab (5ab) and eventually reaches the line part 4b (5b).
However, it is difficult for the discharge to reach a space that is far from all of the line part 4a (5a), the line part 4b (5b), and the connector part 4ab (5ab), since the electric field strength of the space is low. This causes the illumination intensity to decrease. To minimize such a space, a plurality of connector parts 4ab (5ab) are provided in this modification. In so doing, a wider space can be used for discharge, with it being possible to increase the panel luminance.
Another effect produced by this modification is to strengthen the current supply capacity of the connector part 4ab (5ab). By providing two connector parts 4ab (5ab) in each cell as shown in FIG. 4, the current supply capacity is doubled when compared with the display electrode structure of FIG. 1. This facilitates the growth of discharge, and enables the PDP to be driven with a lower voltage. The priming increases due to these factors, thereby easing the growth of discharge.
Note here that the shape of the connector part 4ab (5ab) may be other than a straight line.
Also, the widths of the line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) may not be the same. For example, one line part (4b (5b) in this example) may be set wider than the other line part, as shown in FIG. 5 (modification 1-2).
The discharge starts at the line part 4a (5a) and grows towards the line part 4b (5b). Therefore, the line part 4a (5a) and its vicinity illuminate for a longest time, and so has high luminance. Meanwhile, the line part 4b (5b) has relatively low luminance.
Accordingly, by widening the area of the line part 4b (5b) which has low luminance, it is possible to decrease the resistance while maintaining the panel luminance.
Also, a discharge accelerating part 4p (5p) which is in parallel with the line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) may be provided in each cell so as to intersect the connector part 4ab (5ab) at the right angle, as shown in FIG. 7 (modification 1-4).
According to this modification, the discharge which starts at the line part 4a (5a) spreads in the y direction along the connector part 4ab (5ab), and at the same time spreads in the x direction along the discharge accelerating part 4p (5p). Thus, the discharge effectively spreads in the discharge space between the line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b), as a result of which the luminance of the entire cell increases.
Also, this modification produces a phenomenon in which the discharge grows in the order of the line part 4a (5a), the discharge accelerating part 4p (5p), and the line part 4b (5b). This has an effect of widening the discharge space, with it being possible to improve the luminance.
Similar effects can be obtained by a display electrode pattern shown in FIG. 8 (modification 1-5). In the drawing, the connector part 4ab (5ab) is divided into two parts to spread towards the line part 4b (5b).
Also, a projection may be formed on one side of the line part 4a (5a) facing the other display electrode of the pair so as to extend from the connector part 4ab (5ab), as shown in FIG. 9 (modification 1-6). This being the case, the discharge is performed between these facing projections. According to this construction, the discharge starts between the projections extending from the connector parts 4ab and 5ab, with it being possible to reduce the power required to start the discharge.
The second embodiment is fundamentally based on the first embodiment, but is characterized in that a display electrode is made up of three or more line parts 4a, 4b, . . . and connector parts 4ab, 4b , . . . which are arranged in he y direction in a straight line to connect the line parts.
FIG. 10 shows an example of the display electrode structure of the second embodiment. In the drawing, the scan electrode 4 (sustain electrode 5) has three line parts 4a-4c (5a-5c) that are connected by connector parts 4ab and 4bc (5ab and 5b) arranged in a straight line in the y direction. The distance Dab between the line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) is equal to the distance Dbc between the line parts 4a and 4c (5a and 5c). It is preferable for Dab and Dbc to be larger than the main discharge gap Dgap, to increase the opening ratio. As a result, high luminance can be obtained, and the voltage can be further reduced.
The panel of the second embodiment is characterized in that two or more connector parts 4ab, 4bc, . . . (5ab, 5bc, . . . ) are formed for the display electrode 4 (5) in each cell, so as to be situated in the display area of the cell sandwiched by the adjacent barrier ribs 8. In FIG. 10, the connector parts 4ab and 4bc (5ab and 5bc) are provided for the scan electrode 4 (sustain electrode 5) in each cell. In other words, two connector parts are provided for the scan electrode 4 (sustain electrode 5) in each cell.
It is desirable to position the connector parts 4ab and 4bc (5ab and 5bc) at the center of each cell. In this way, a margin for displacements which may occur when sealing the front panel FP and the back panel BP together can be obtained. Suppose a connector part is positioned perpendicular to the x direction as in the case of Japanese Patent No. 2734405. Since the connector part width is 50 μm and the barrier rib width is about 60 μm, a displacement of around 10-20 μm can result in a change in characteristics. On the other hand, if a connector part is positioned at the center of the cell as in this embodiment, a margin corresponding to the difference between the cell width and the connector part width is secured. Suppose the pixel pitch is 1080 μm�1080 μm. When the cell width in the x direction is about 300 μm and the connector part width is 40 μm, then a margin of about 260 μm (�130 μm) can be secured.
The second embodiment describes the case where the connector parts 4ab, 4bc, . . . (5ab, 5bc, . . . ) are arranged in a straight line to connect the line parts 4a, 4b, 4c, . . . (5a, 5b, 5c, . . . ). However, the present invention is not limited to such. For instance, the line parts may be connected by the connector parts so as to form a mesh, as shown in FIG. 11 (modification 2-1). In the drawing, cells A, B, and C correspond to the red, green, and blue phosphor layers, respectively. This being so, the green phosphor layer corresponding to cell B has higher luminance than the blue phosphor layer corresponding to cell C, and cell C is set wider than cell B. In general, when the cell width is smaller, the movement of electrons is restricted by the barrier ribs on both sides, which makes it difficult for the discharge to grow in the direction away from the main discharge gap Dgap. Therefore, to effectively spread the discharge from the main discharge gap Dgap, it is desirable to provide a connector part closer to the main discharge gap Dgap when the cell width is smaller. By doing so, the discharge characteristics such as the discharge voltage can be made uniform, even when the cell pitch is not uniform.
In the narrower cell, on the other hand, the cell area is smaller and so the influence of the capacitance of the display electrode is relatively low. Therefore, the connector part can be positioned more freely. As one example, the connector part 4ab (5ab) may be provided in the cell with sufficient phosphor luminance (cell B), whereas the connector part 4bc (5bc) may be provided in the cell which needs to ensure a certain amount of phosphor light emission (cell A).
Similar effects can be delivered by a display electrode structure shown in FIG. 12 (modification 2-2). In this modification, the distance Dab between the line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) is not equal to the distance Dbc between the line parts 4a and 4c (5a and 5c).
In FIG. 12, cell C has a large cell area whilst cell A has a small cell area. In this way, the luminance of the three colors of red, green, and blue is appropriately balanced to produce a white color with a desired color temperature. Usually the blue cell is widened to increase the blue luminance so as to produce a white color with a high color temperature. In such a case, the drive voltage of cell C becomes lower than the drive voltage of cell A. Accordingly, the connector part 4ab (5ab) is provided between the line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) in cell A, to decrease the drive voltage. As a result, the drive voltage of cell A can be made roughly equal to the drive voltage of cell C.
Also, the distance between the line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) is set larger than the distance between the line parts 4a and 4c (5a and 5c) in this modification. Accordingly, the connector part 4ab (5ab) is longer than the connector part 4bc (5bc). In so doing, a large amount of visible light can be produced in the discharge which occurs near the main discharge gap Dgap. By adopting the display electrode structure of the present invention to a drive method which applies a voltage of a waveform having a slope (see FIG. 13) to the scan electrodes in the set-up period, stable write discharge can be performed. As one example, the voltage change of the slope is preferably �10 V/μs.
The details of ramp discharge are described in �Plasma Display Device Challenges�, ASIA DISPLAY 98, pp.15-27.
When Dab>Dbc>Dcd as shown in FIG. 15, connector parts are positioned between line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) and between line parts 4a and 4c (5a and 5c) in cell A, whilst connector parts are located between line parts 4b and 4c (5a and 5c) and between line parts 4c and 4d (5c and 5d) in cell C.
Effects of providing the connector parts 4ab and 4bc (5ab and 5bc) in each cell in the second embodiment are explained below.
FIG. 16C shows a display electrode structure which includes the connector parts 4ab and 4bc (5ab and 5bc) of the second embodiment, while FIG. 16D shows a discharge current waveform for this display electrode structure.
FIG. 16E shows a display electrode structure which includes the connector parts 4ab and 4bc (5ab and 5bc) of the modification 2-1, while FIG. 16F shows a discharge current waveform for this display electrode structure.
In all cases, the discharge starts in the main discharge gap Dgap that is the smallest gap between the pair of display electrodes. This discharge expands with time, and eventually spreads throughout the cell including the line part 4c (5c).
In the case of FIG. 16A, the line parts 4a-4c (5a-5c) to which a discharge current is supplied are simply positioned in a discrete manner. Accordingly, the discharge grows in a discrete fashion too, as a result of which a plurality of peaks appear in discharge current waveform as shown in FIG. 16B. Since the electrode structure is discrete, the electric field strength of the discharge space is discrete. Therefore, a relatively high drive voltage is needed for the discharge which is generated in the main discharge gap Dgap to spread to the line part 4b (5b) and to the line part 4c (5c).
In the case of FIG. 16C, on the other hand, the discharge current waveform has a single peak as shown in FIG. 16D. Since the connector parts 4ab and 4bc (5ab and 5bc) are provided to connect the line parts 4a-4c (5a-5c), the discharge grows continuously. This is because the electric field strength of the discharge space has been made continuously high by providing the connector parts 4ab and 4bc (5ab and 5b). As a result, the drive voltage can be reduced (the inventors found through experimentation that an illumination voltage of about 200V was reduced by about 5V).
In the third embodiment, the display electrode 4 (5) includes three line parts 4a-4c (5a-5c) and projection parts 4aq and 4bq (5aq and 5bq) which are each provided on one side of any of the line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b) as a discharge developing part, as shown in FIG. 17. Here, the projection parts 4aq and 4bq (5aq and 5bq) have a rectangular shape, and are formed so as to extend in the y direction.
These projection parts 4aq and 4ba (5aq and 5bq) are formed such that the gap between adjacent line parts (e.g. 4a and 4b (5a and 5b)) is smaller in the areas corresponding to the channels between adjacent barrier ribs 8 than in the areas corresponding to the barrier ribs 8.
As one example, the size of each part is as follows. The line part width in the y direction is about 10-100 μm, and preferably about 25-60 μm. The distance between adjacent line parts excluding the projection parts 4aq and 4bq (5aq and 5bq) is about 100-200 μm, and preferably 50-100 μm. The projection part width in the x direction is no greater than 50% of the cell width in the x direction, and preferably no greater than 20% of the cell width in the x direction. Also, the projection part length in the y direction is such that the distance between the projection part and its facing line part is preferably no greater than the main discharge gap Dgap, and more preferably no greater than half the main discharge gap Dgap (e.g. 40 μm or less when the main discharge gap Dgap is 80 μm).
In view of this problem, the third embodiment provides the aforementioned projection parts 4aq and 4bq (5aq and 5bq) on the sides of the line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b), in order to locally reduce the distance between adjacent line parts. This helps the discharge which is generated near the main discharge gap Dgap spread throughout the cell even with a low voltage. In so doing, the rate of luminance change caused by a change in discharge voltage can be suppressed, and the discharge firing voltage Vf can be decreased.
This discharge voltage reduction effect produced by the provision of the projection parts 4aq and 4bq (5aq and 5bq) greatly depends on the main discharge gap Dgap and the distance between adjacent line parts. If the distance between each projection part and its facing line part is no greater than the main discharge gap Dgap, the effect becomes particularly high. This effect is further enhanced if the distance between the projection part and the facing line part is no greater than 50% of the main discharge gap Dgap.
When the display electrode is only made up of line parts, the discharge current suddenly changes during the growth of discharge from he main discharge gap Dgap. This causes a drop in the potential of the electrode. Here, if line parts of the same polarity are connected by a connector part, all connected line parts tend to suffer some voltage drop during the discharge. According to the third embodiment, however, the projection parts 4aq and 4bq (5aq and 5bq) are provided to the line parts, so that the line parts of the same polarity are not directly connected. As a result, a voltage drop hardly affects the outer line parts. In other words, the spread of the voltage drop is stopped at the line part 4a (5a) that is closest to the main discharge gap Dgap. Accordingly, the discharge spreads to the outermost line part more easily than in the first and second embodiments, with it being possible to deliver a further reduction in voltage.
The third embodiment describes the case where the projection parts 4aq and 4bq (5aq and 5bq) are each provided on only one side of one of the line parts 4a and 4b (5a and 5b), but this is not a limit for the present invention. For example, the projection parts 4bq (5bq) may be provided on both sides of the line parts 4b (5b) towards the adjacent line parts 4a and 4c (5a and 5c), as shown in FIG. 18 (modification 3-1). In this case, the line part width is about 10-100 μm, and preferably about 25-60 μm. The distance between adjacent line parts is about 10-200 μm, and preferably 50-100 μm. The projection part length in the x direction is no greater than 50% of the cell width, and preferably no greater than 20% of the cell width. Also, the distance between each projection part and its facing line part is preferably no greater than the main discharge gap Dgap, and more preferably no greater than half the main discharge gap Dgap.
Here, the shape of the projection parts is not limited to a rectangle. Other shapes such as a triangle, a quadrilateral, a cannon-ball, and a letter T are applicable, too. FIG. 19 shows a display electrode structure having triangular projection parts 4bq and 4cq (5bq and 5cq) (modification 3-2). According to this modification, discharge expands between the top of the triangle of each projection part and its facing line part.
Basically, it is desirable to provide the projection parts at the center of the gaps between the adjacent barrier ribs 8. However, this is not a limit for the present invention. For example, the projection parts 4bq and 4cq may be provided so as to overlap the barrier ribs 8 when looked from the above, as shown in FIG. 20 (modification 3-3). Here, the projection part width is a little larger than the barrier rib width.
Suppose the third embodiment is applied to a case where the red cell, the green cell, and the blue cell have different widths in the x direction. In such a case, a structure shown in FIG. 21 may be employed (modification 3-4). In the cell which has the smallest cell width, the projection part 4bq (5bq) is provided on the line part 4b (5b) near the main discharge gap Dgap. In the cell which has moderate luminance, the projection part 4cq (5cq) is provided on the line part 4c (5c) far from the main discharge gap Dgap. In the cell which has the largest cell width, no projection part is provided.
Also, the third embodiment can be combined with the structure of the second embodiment which realizes ramp discharge (modification 3-5). In FIG. 22, the distance between adjacent line parts is smaller when the line parts are farther from the main discharge gap Dgap. This being so, projection parts 4ab (5ab) are provided to the line part 4a (5a). This structure exhibits the effect of the third embodiment. In addition, the discharge generated at the main discharge gap Dgap at the start of the discharge is effectively used for visible light, which enables ramp discharge to be carried out efficiently.
Also, T-shaped projection parts 4aq (5aq) may be provided as shown in FIG. 24 (modification 3-7). By doing so, the effective electrode area of the line part 4a (5a) near the main discharge gap Dgap can be widened. Thus, the spatial extent of the discharge in the main discharge gap Dgap caused by the discharge firing voltage Vf is increased. This suppresses a sudden luminance change around the discharge firing voltage Vf and decreases the discharge firing voltage Vf itself. Furthermore, the T shape of the projection parts 4aq (5aq) helps the discharge spread in the x direction. As a result, the discharge spreads evenly throughout the cell, which benefits high luminance and illumination efficiency.
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