Patent ID: 8279142

Claim:
A method for driving a plasma display panel having cells of a surface discharge structure, the plasma display panel including a first substrate and a second substrate that sandwich a discharge gas space in between the first substrate and the second substrate, first electrodes and second electrodes both arranged on the first substrate, a first insulator intervening between the first electrode and the discharge gas space as well as between the second electrode and the discharge gas space, third electrodes arranged on the second substrate, and a second insulator intervening between the third electrode and the discharge gas space, the first insulator more readily emitting secondary electrons than the second insulator, the method comprising the steps of: in an address period for forming a state where wall charge that is necessary for energizing a cell to be energized is accumulated, generating address discharge of an opposed discharge form with the second electrode used as a cathode between the second electrode and the third electrode in a cell to be energized or in a cell not to be energized; in a sustain period for generating discharge between the first electrode and the second electrode in the cell to be energized where the state is formed in the address period, applying a sustain pulse that generates the discharge and has a positive polarity to the first electrode and the second electrode alternately, wherein the sustain pulse to be applied last during the sustain period is applied to the first electrode; and in a reset period for initializing the wall charge in the first insulator of every cell to which the sustain pulse is applied in the sustain period, applying a pulse having a positive polarity to the second electrode while applying, to the third electrode, a first voltage and applying, to the first electrode, a second voltage equal to or smaller than the first voltage so as to generate discharge of a surface discharge form between the first electrode and the second electrode, and subsequently applying an obtuse wave pulse having a negative polarity to the second electrode while applying, to the third electrode, a third voltage and applying, to the first electrode, a fourth voltage equal to or smaller than the third voltage so as to generate charge adjustment discharge starting from discharge of an opposed discharge form with the second electrode used as a cathode between the second electrode and the third electrode.