Patent ID: 6882116

Claim:
A method for driving a plasma display panel having a first substrate on which a plural of first electrodes and a plural of second electrodes are placed in parallel to each other, a plurality of display lines each being formed between one of said first electrodes and corresponding one of said second electrodes, and a second substrate on which a plural of third electrodes placed so as to face said plurality of first and second electrodes and formed in a manner that said plurality of said third electrodes is extended in a direction orthogonal to said plurality of said first and second electrodes, and a plurality of display cells placed at points of intersection of said plurality of said third electrodes and said plurality of said first and second electrodes, said method comprising: a step of applying a voltage having an inclined waveform which changes with time to said first electrodes or/and said second electrodes; and a step of setting time of occurrence of discharge so that, in each of said display cells, time of occurrence of facing discharge between the first electrode or/and the second electrode to which said voltage having said inclined wave form is/are applied and the third electrode comes earlier than earliest time of occurrence of surface discharge between the first electrode and the second electrode corresponding to each other.