Patent ID: 7116288

Claim:
A driving method of an AC type plasma display panel including a display screen in which first display electrodes and second display electrodes arranged in spaced relationship so as to form plural surface discharge gaps corresponding to plural rows of a matrix display, and a relative position relationship of first and second display electrodes defining neighboring rows, in a row arrangement direction, is opposite and respective terminals, connected to the first and the second display electrodes to supply electricity thereto, are located at respective, opposite sides of the display screen, the method comprising: dividing the first display electrodes into plural pairs of first complementary display electrodes, each of the first complementary display electrodes being made up of one first display electrode adjacent only to one second display electrode; dividing the second display electrodes into plural pairs of second complementary display electrodes, each of the second complementary display electrodes being made up of one second display electrode adjacent only to one first display electrode; and generating display discharges by changing potentials of the first and the second display electrodes so that a potential change has a complementary relationship between one first complementary display electrode and the other first complementary display electrode of a selected pair of complementary first display electrodes, for each of the first complementary display electrode pairs in succession, as well as between one second complementary display electrode and the other second complementary display electrode of a selected pair of complementary second display electrodes, in alternate succession with the first complementary display electrode pairs, for each of the second complementary electrode pairs and so that a sustaining voltage is applied to the surface discharge gap at the ratio of one row per k (k≧2) rows and the surface discharge gaps to which the sustaining voltage is applied are changed sequentially.