Method and apparatus for driving plasma display panel

Abstract

A plasma display panel has pairs of parallel first and second electrodes on a first substrate defining respective display lines and third electrodes on a second substrate, facing the first substrate, disposed orthogonally to and electrically separated from the first and second electrodes and defining discharge cells at intersections therewith. A controller defines reset, addressing and sustain discharge periods in a continuing succession. Drive circuits selectively apply voltages to the electrodes so as to produce in the discharge cells, in each rest period, reset discharges achieving self-erase discharge and charge distribution equalization, in each addressing period, discharges between the second and third electrodes in selected discharge cells in accordance with writing display data therein and, in each sustain discharge period, sustain discharge pulses between the first and second electrodes in the selected discharge cells thereby to emit light in accordance with the display data. The polarity of the potential difference between the first and second electrodes in each discharge period is opposite to that in each addressing period.