Patent ID: 7633497

Claim:
A drive circuit of a plasma display device for applying a drive voltage to a plurality of electrodes of a plasma display panel, said drive circuit comprising: output lines connected to one end of each of the electrodes; a first signal line for supplying a first potential higher in potential than a reference potential to the one end of each of the electrodes via a respective output line; a second signal line for supplying a second potential lower in potential than the reference potential to the one end of each of the electrodes via the respective output line; a capacitor connected between the first signal line and the second signal line; a first switch connected between a first power supply line for supplying the first potential and the first signal line; a second switch connected between the second signal line and the reference potential; a plurality of third switches and a plurality of fourth switches connected in series between the first signal line and the second signal line; and a fifth switch connected between a second power supply line for supplying a third potential lower in potential than the reference potential and the first signal line; wherein each pair of one of the third switches and one of the fourth switches is respectively connected in series between the first signal line and the second signal line, and each interconnection point of the third switch and the fourth switch is connected to each of the output lines; and in an address period, selecting cells to be lit according to display data, turning off the first and second switches, and turning on the fifth switch, a negative superimposed voltage, which is the second potential being a voltage charged inside the capacitor superimposed on the third potential, is generated to the second signal line, by turning the third switches off and the one fourth switch corresponding to the electrode is scanned among the fourth switches on, applying the negative superimposed voltage as a scan pulse to the electrode is scanned via the one fourth switch and the output line corresponding to the electrode is scanned, in a period of the address period during which the scan pulse is applied, applying the third potential to the electrodes via the first signal line and the output lines, by turning the third switches on and the fourth switches off, in the address period except for the period during which the scan pulse is applied.