U.S. patent number 3,654,388 [Application Number 05/085,160] was granted by the patent office on 1972-04-04 for methods and apparatus for obtaining variable intensity and multistable states in a plasma panel.
This patent grant is currently assigned to University of Illinois Foundation. Invention is credited to William Dooley Petty, Hiram Gene Slottow.
United States Patent |
3,654,388 |
Slottow , et al. |
April 4, 1972 |
METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING VARIABLE INTENSITY AND
MULTISTABLE STATES IN A PLASMA PANEL
Abstract
Techniques for providing multiple states and variable intensity
in a gaseous discharge device known in the art as "plasma panel" or
"plasma display panel." A method and apparatus for imparting
information to a plasma display panel to produce an image of
several intensity levels, and the preserving of this image on the
panel until new information is received by the panel. The
information that controls the intensity at a given cell is imparted
in the form of a voltage but at a selected time creates a control
discharge at the selected cell. The discharge creates a wall
voltage at the cell that at the time of the discharge is
characteristic of a particular stable sequence of discharges, and
of an average intensity that is produced by this sequence. Several
different discharge sequences each with a characteristic intensity
are possible, and each can be initiated by setting the appropriate
wall voltage at the appropriate time.
Inventors: |
Slottow; Hiram Gene (Maumee,
OH), Petty; William Dooley (Perrysburg, OH) |
Assignee: |
University of Illinois
Foundation (Urbana, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
22189838 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/085,160 |
Filed: |
October 29, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
348/797;
348/E3.014; 315/169.4; 345/63; 345/68; 315/169.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09G
3/2011 (20130101); G09G 3/294 (20130101); H04N
3/125 (20130101); G09G 3/296 (20130101); G09G
3/297 (20130101); G09G 5/10 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G09G
3/28 (20060101); H04N 3/10 (20060101); H04N
3/12 (20060101); H04n 005/66 () |
Field of
Search: |
;315/167,168,169,189
;178/6.7A,6,7.3D,7.5 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Murray; Richard
Assistant Examiner: Lange; Richard P.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In the method of displaying video information in a gaseous
discharge plasma panel having a gaseous medium in said panel, and
display points defined by associated paired electrodes said display
points including gaseous discharge cells having cell walls for
forming wall charges thereon, wherein said information is entered
into the panel at selected display points by coupling addressing
signals sufficient to discharge the gaseous medium to respective
electrodes and form associated wall charges related to said
information, the improved step of sustaining said information in
said panel at various respective information levels by applying a
periodic sustaining signal having a series of pulses in each half
cycle which increase in amplitude and decrease in width, each of
said pulses corresponding to a different wall voltage.
2. In the method of displaying video information in a gaseous
discharge plasma panel having a gaseous medium in said panel, and
display points defined by associated paired electrodes, said
display points including gaseous discharge cells having cell walls
for forming wall charges thereon, wherein said information is
entered into the panel at selected display points by coupling
addressing signals sufficient to discharge the gaseous medium to
respective electrodes and form associated wall charges related to
said information, the improved step of supplying a sustaining
signal to sustain an individual group of discharges which repeat
themselves group by group, such that any perturbation from a stable
equilibrium sequence in an individual discharge in a group will be
less than the perturbation of the corresponding discharge in the
preceding group.
3. The method of displaying information as claimed in claim 2,
wherein said sustaining signal sustains several different sequences
of discharges each composed of different groups, and each sequence
of discharges defining a particular intensity.
4. The method of displaying information as claimed in claim 3,
including incrementing the wall voltage of at least one of said
display points at a specified time in the discharge sequence to
provide a stable equilibrium sequence different from the initial
sequence.
5. The method of displaying information as claimed in claim 3,
including setting the initial wall charges at each display point in
said panel to obtain different sequences of discharges, each
corresponding to a particular average light intensity.
6. The method of displaying information as claimed in claim 5,
including incrementing the wall voltage of selected display points
in said panel to provide a respective different sequence of
discharges associated with each of said selected display points to
vary the light intensity of said display points.
7. In gaseous discharge plasma display panel apparatus, including a
gaseous medium in said panel, and display points defined by
associated paired electrodes said display points including gaseous
discharge cells having cell walls for forming wall charges thereon,
wherein information is transferred into and out of said panel by
manipulating wall charges associated with the selective pulsing
discharge of the gaseous medium at the display points by coupling
suitable exciting signals to the associated paired electrodes, the
improvement comprising means for displaying said information at
variable intensity levels, including a periodic sustaining signal
generator means coupled to said electrodes, said periodic
sustaining signal having a series of pulses in each half cycle
which increase in amplitude and decrease in width, each of said
pulses corresponding to a different wall voltage.
8. In gaseous discharge plasma display panel apparatus, including a
gaseous medium in said panel, and display points defined by
associated paired electrodes, said display points including gaseous
discharge cells having cell walls for forming wall charges thereon,
wherein information is transferred into and out of said panel by
manipulating wall charges associated with the selective pulsing
discharge of the gaseous medium at the display points by coupling
suitable exciting signals to the associated paired electrodes, the
improvement comprising means for displaying said information at
variable intensity levels, including signal generator coupled to
said electrodes supplying a sustaining signal to sustain an
individual group of discharges which repeat themselves group by
group, such that any perturbation from a stable equilibrium
sequence in an individual discharge in a group will be less than
the perturbation of the corresponding discharge in the preceding
group.
9. Display panel apparatus as claimed in claim 8, including
incremental signal generator means coupled to said electrodes for
incrementing the wall voltage of at least one of said display
points at a specified time in the discharge sequence to provide a
stable equilibrium sequence different from the initial
sequence.
10. Display panel apparatus as claimed in claim 9, including means
for setting the initial wall charges at each display point in said
panel to obtain different sequences of discharges, each
corresponding to a particular average light intensity.
11. Display panel apparatus as claimed in claim 10, including
incremental signal generator means coupled to said electrodes for
incrementing the wall voltage of selected display points in said
panel to provide a respective different sequence of discharges
associated with each of said selected display points to vary the
light intensity of said display points.
Description
This invention relates to gaseous discharge devices, and in
particular to techniques for providing multiple states and variable
intensity in a gaseous discharge device known in the art as "plasma
panel" or "plasma display panel".
The subject matter of the present invention is related to apparatus
disclosed in a copending application of Donald L. Bitzer, H. Gene
Slottow and R. H. Willson, U.S. Ser. No. 613,693, filed Dec. 22,
1966, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,190, and entitled "Gaseous Display
and Memory Apparatus." In the disclosure of this prior copending
application which is incorporated herein in its entirety, there is
described a panel incorporating gaseous discharge cells of a unique
pulsing discharge type, wherein the presence or absence of suitably
formed wall charges in the cells imparts information. Such a
gaseous discharge panel has become known in the art as the "plasma
panel," and when utilized for display purposes is commonly referred
to as the "plasma display panel." Reference may also be had to the
following publications disclosing the type of plasma panel related
to the present invention, such publications being incorporated
herein in their entirety:
1. Bitzer, D. L. and Slottow, H. G. "The Plasma Display Panel-- A
Digitally Addressable Display with Inherent Memory," Proceedings of
the Full Joint Computer Conference, San Francisco, California,
November 1966.
2. Arora, B. M., Bitzer, D. L., Slottow, H. G. and Willson, R. H.,
"The Plasma Display Panel-- A New Device for Information Display
and Storage," Proceedings of the Eighth National Symposium of the
Society for Information Display, May, 1967.
3. Bitzer, D. L. and Slottow, H. G. "The Plasma Display Panel-- A
New Device for Direct View of Graphics," Conference on Emerging
Concepts in Computer Graphics, University of Illinois, November
1967, to be published by Benjamin Publishing Company, New York.
4. Bitzer, D. L. and Slottow, H. G., "Principles and Applications
of the Plasma Display Panel," Proceedings of the OAR Research
Applications Conference, Office of Aerospace Research, Arlington,
Va., March 1968. (Also published in the Proceedings of the 1968
Microelectronics Symposium, I.E.E.E., June 1968.
It is to be understood that the terms "plasma panel" or "plasma
display panel" is defined by and is characterized by the gaseous
discharge panel as described in the previously mentioned copending
application and the above listed publications.
In a copending application of Bitzer, Slottow and Petty, U.S. Ser.
No. 765,939, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,601,531, entitled "Plasma Display
Panel Apparatus Having Multi-Level Stable States for Variable
Intensity", there is described apparatus and a method for providing
a variable intensity technique for the plasma display panel-- which
technique is based on a stability theory for the plasma display
panel which is discussed therein. The present application is based
on an extension of that theory and provides an alternative method
and apparatus to those described in the above application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the principles of the present invention there is
provided a method and apparatus for imparting information to a
plasma display panel to produce an image of several intensity
levels, and the preserving of this image on the panel until new
information is received by the panel. The information that controls
the intensity at a given cell is imparted in the form of a voltage
but at a selected time creates a control discharge at the selected
cell. The discharge creates a wall voltage at the cell that at the
time of the discharge is characteristic of a particular stable
sequence of discharges, and of an average intensity that is
produced by this sequence. Several different discharge sequences
each with a characteristic intensity are possible, and each can be
initiated by setting the appropriate wall voltage at the
appropriate time.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1-6 are schematic illustrations of various waveforms useful
in the description and maintenance of stable sequences;
FIGS. 7-9 are schematic illustrations of waveforms and sustaining
and selective addressing circuits for providing the same in the
initiation and maintenance of stable sequences and corresponding
levels of variable intensity for a plasma display panel; and
FIGS. 10-11 illustrate plasma panel apparatus constructed in
accordance with the principles of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
THE DESCRIPTION AND MAINTENANCE OF STABLE SEQUENCES
One form of implementation is illustrated by the drawing of FIG. 1
which represents the wall voltages V.sub.w1, V.sub.w2, and V.sub.w3
of three cells in a plasma display panel of the type having a
plurality of x and y panel electrodes in a matrix array, and each
cell being defined at intersections of the x-y electrodes. These
wall voltages can be set by initiating signals that correspond to
the desired intensity levels.
When the first pulse, with amplitude V.sub.s1, is applied to the
panel, only the cell with wall voltage V.sub.w1 responds. Since the
system is in a sustaining mode, and therefore in equilibrium, the
wall voltage change is 2V.sub.w1 as shown in FIG. 1. The second
pulse, with amplitude V.sub.s2, creates a discharge only in the
cell with wall voltage V.sub.w2 . The total cell voltage for the
third cell (V.sub. s2 + V.sub. w3) is less than the firing voltage,
V.sub.f, and no discharge takes place in the third cell at this
time. Similarly, because of the phase of the voltage on the first
cell, the cell voltage is too low to ignite a discharge. Finally,
when the third pulse, V.sub.s3 is applied, only the third cell
responds. The entire sequence is repeated once each half cycle
until it is interrupted by the introduction of new intensity
information.
A variation of this procedure is to hold the voltage level of each
pulse until the beginning of the succeeding pulse. The
corresponding sustaining voltage is shown in FIG. 2(a) for two
states. If the charge generated by each discharge is completely
drawn to the wall before the termination of each pulse in FIG. 1
the effect of the panel for these two sustaining signals should be
identical (except of course that for the wave form of FIG. 2(a)
there are only two states). If this is not true, there should be
some reversal of charge flow after each of the pulses of FIG. 1,
and the change in wall voltage must be accounted for. This system
has been implemented for two states on a small experimental panel
fabricated at the Coordinated Science Laboratory of the University
of Illinois, and also on a standard Owens-Illinois Digivue
panel.
We note that the successive levels in each phase become narrow in
time as well as greater in voltage. This insures that each
successive discharge in a group is less intense than its
precedessor. The process depends on the fact that the change in
wall voltage at a discharge depends not only on the amplitude of
the applied pulse, but also on the pulse duration. Thus, for each
of the voltage pulses corresponding to changes in level of the
sustaining signal shown in FIG. 1 and 2 (a) there is a unique
dependence of change in wall voltage on cell voltage, and the
terminal characteristics of the cell for this complex wave form
must be described by a family of curves. An important advantage of
this entire approach to variable intensity is that these functional
relationships can be measured.
FIG. 2(b) shows two members of a family of curves as they relate to
the wave form of FIG. 2(a). The upper curve labeled T1 shows the
voltage transfer curve for an applied voltage with time duration
T1. Similarly the curve labeled T2 corresponds to an applied
voltage with duration T2. The effect of the second step in each
half-cycle on a discharge created by the first step is usually
small, but its influence, if any, simply changes the detailed
character of the curve.
In the bright state the switching across the cell at the time of
discharge is the sum of V.sub.s1, the sustaining voltage, and
.DELTA.V.sub.w1 /2, the wall voltage. The resulting change in wall
voltage is .DELTA.V.sub.w1. Similarly for the discharges of the dim
states, the cell voltage of that discharge is the sum of V.sub.s2
and the wall voltage .DELTA.v.sub.w2 /2. The resulting change in
wall voltage is in this case .DELTA.V.sub.w2. These changes are
indicated in the transfer curves of FIG. 2(b).
This procedure for obtaining variable intensity is based in part on
recent advances in the theoretical understanding of the plasma
display technique. The essential concept is that, under proper
conditions, the wall voltage associated with the discharge
sequences stabilizes at two precise levels, one for the positive
half-period and one for the negative half-period. Any small
perturbation in wall voltage affects the succeeding discharge in a
way that decreases the magnitude of perturbation. The process is
described by the equation
.delta..sub.it1 =(-1+ d(.DELTA.V.sub.w)/dV.sub.c) .delta..sub.i
;
where V.sub. w is the actual change in wall voltage at a discharge
and V.sub. c is the actual voltage across the plasma display cell
(the sum of the wall voltage and the applied voltage) at the time
of the discharge. The condition for stability therefore is that
O.ltoreq.d(.DELTA.V.sub.w)/dV.sub.c .ltoreq.2.
In another form more useful for comparison in a more generalized
case the condition for stability is
-1.ltoreq.(-1+ d(.DELTA.V.sub. w)/dV.sub. c ).ltoreq. 1.
We assume that all of the wall voltages characteristic of the wave
forms shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 correspond to stable equilibrium
states. This stability theory and its implications have been
described in part in the previously mentioned co-pending patent
application of Bitzer, Slottow and Petty.
Typical measurements in the change in wall voltages of a function
of actual cell voltage (voltage transfer curves) indicate a stable
region corresponding to a large change in wall voltage, an unstable
region of somewhat smaller, but more sensitive, change in wall
voltage and another stable region for very small wall voltage
changes. These regions are indicated in FIG. 3 in which a change of
wall voltage .DELTA.V.sub. w is plotted against V.sub. c, the
actual cell voltage. This curve suggests the existence of two
stable states for the same applied voltage V.sub.s, an intense
state that is the commonly observed "on" state for a plasma display
cell, and a new dim state. An attempt to observe this dim state was
made and has been successful. The discharges, however, as indicated
by the light pulses of FIG. 4 are unsymmetrical.
It appears that the explanation rests on an understanding of the
physics of the discharges. We assume that at time A there is
essentially no charge in the volume of the cell with the wall
voltage and with the sustaining voltage as indicated in FIG. 4 the
condition for voltage breakdown is satisfied, and the light pulse
shows a growth curve that is characteristic of growing avalanches.
Before the discharge becomes very intense, however, the sustaining
voltage changes abruptly at time B. For this cell at this time, the
breakdown condition is not met. However, there are electrons and
ions in the volume and a sequence of avalanches in successfully
decreasing intensity develops. There is, therefore, an initial
increase of current and light, followed by an exponential
decreasing current and light. This interpretation is consistent
with the oscilloscopic measure of light intensity.
This explanation requires a change in the lower part of the voltage
transfer curves of FIGS. 2 and 3. The modified curve of FIG. 5
shows two branches for small .DELTA.V.sub. c. The right hand branch
corresponds to the conditions for which there is little charge in
the volume. The left hand branch, which extends to the left of the
firing voltage, V.sub.f represents a condition for which charge is
in the volume of the cell at the time the voltage V.sub.f is
applied. Conditions for times A and B of FIG. 4 are represented in
FIG. 5 by the points A' and B'. Note that the change in wall
voltage, V.sub.w is the same-- otherwise charge would accumulate on
the walls.
If the applied voltage is less than V.sub.f and there is little
charge in the volume, the right hand branch is effective and there
will be no discharge. This provides an "off" state to go with the
dim and bright states described below.
In a generalization of this technique the dim and bright states
have been combined with a third "on" state by sustaining an
Owens-Illinois Digivue plasma display panel with the voltage
wave-form shown in FIG. 6. The third state involves three
discharges per period, two changes of voltage in one direction for
every single change in voltage in the other. These three states
have been introduced into adjacent sections of the same panel and
have been maintained simultaneously by the voltage wave-form of
FIG. 6.
All of these modes represents stable sequences of discharges in
which, again, the state information is held at the cell itself. The
stability theory, however, for the generalized case must be
extended. For the simple case, all discharges, in equilibrium, are
essentially alike, and for a stable sequence a perturbation must
decrease with each successive discharge. The condition for this to
be true has been stated above in terms of limits on d(.DELTA.V.sub.
w)/dV.sub. c. For the more general case the discharges are
different from one another and this requirement is not necessary.
FIG. 7 illustrates a hypothetical case in which the sequence is
composed of groups each of which contains four discharges. The
perturbations in this example do not decrease for each discharge
within the group. They do, however, diminish from group to group,
and in particular, the perturbation associated with a particular
discharge in a group must diminish with each corresponding
discharge in the following group. In FIG. 7, for example, the
perturbation .delta..sub.i1 is followed by three perturbations of
which .delta..sub.i3 is larger than .delta..sub.i1. The
corresponding perturbations .delta..sub.j1 is however less than
.sub.i1 Similarly, .delta..sub.j2 is less than .delta..sub.i2,
.delta..sub.j3 is less than .delta..sub.i3, and .delta..sub.j4 is
less than .delta..sub.i4. Since for each discharge in the group,
the perturbation associated with that discharge diminishes from
group to group the process illustrated is stable. The mathematical
statement of the condition for stability in this case is that
-1.ltoreq..pi..sub.k.sup.4 .sub.1 {-1+ [d(.DELTA.V.sub. w )/dV.sub.
c ].sub.k }.ltoreq.1.
The term [d(.DELTA.V.sub. w)/dV.sub. c ].sub.k is the slope of the
voltage transfer curve for the k.sup.th equilibrium discharge in
the group. Of course in the general case where there are n
different discharges in each group, the stability condition
involves a product of n factors instead of the four shown in the
above example. This condition reduces in the simple case to the
condition for stability stated earlier in which the perturbation
decreases discharge by discharge to zero. Thus, we see that the
condition on the term (-1+ d(.DELTA.V.sub. w)/dV.sub. c) in the
simple case becomes in the general case the limit on the product of
similar terms.
In equilibrium the perturbations are zero, and the wall voltage
following a particular discharge from one group is identical with
the wall voltage following the same discharge in the next group.
Since the memory is in the wall voltage, there must be a different
stable equilibrium wall voltage at any time for each stable state.
FIG. 8 which plots the wall voltage after a discharge against the
wall voltage after the corresponding discharge in the previous
group indicates five points (or regions) in which the wall voltage
associated with a particular discharge remains the same from group
to group. For two of these points the graph shows that these
perturbations grow and that these two points represent unstable
conditions. Two other points represent stable conditions and these
correspond to two stable "on" states. There also exists a region in
which there are no perturbations. This region corresponds to the
range of wall voltages for which there are no wall charges. This is
an "off" state.
The above theory describes only states for which the memory is
entirely in the wall voltage. It does not consider the case, found
experimentally, and discussed above, in connection with FIGS. 4, 5
and a portion of 6 in which the state information resides to some
extent in charges in the volumes.
INITIATION OF MULTISTATES
To initiate a state the wall voltage of particular cells must be
set for instance to the particular states or levels, V.sub.w1,
V.sub.w2 and V.sub.w3 as illustrated in FIG. 1. The change in cell
wall voltage can be made by applying an appropriate initiating
pulse of appropriate amplitude and width to affect the particular
cell as shown by the charge transfer curves of FIG. 2(b). In the
laternative the wall change setting techniques described in the
previously mentioned copending application of Bitzer, Slottow and
Petty can be used.
More generally, instead of initially setting the wall voltages
directly to the three states, the wall voltage at each cell can be
incrementally adjusted from one state to another until the desired
state is achieved. As an example, all of the cells in the plasma
panel can be discharged and sustained at the normal bright level as
is already known, and the levels or states for particular cells can
be derived therefrom. Of course in any system in which off is a
state, the transition from off to another state must also be
considered. Furthermore it must be realized that the cell wall
voltage need not be set precisely since any deviation in terms of
perturbations from the desired stable equilibrium wall voltage will
damp out during sequential sustaining as described above.
In addressing a panel with n states, a total of n (n- l)
transitions are possible. However, if a multi-step addressing
scheme is used, any state change can be achieved with n or less
state transitions. Thus for a three state display, six transitions
are possible, for instance, the bright to medium, bright to dim,
medium to dim, medium to bright, dim to bright, dim to medium
(however only three transitions are necessary to complete
addressing, for example, bright to medium, medium to dim, dim to
bright). Addressing is then accomplished by cyclically addressing
the desired cells through the three transitions terminating with
the desired state. In one demonstration of this the bright state
can be chosen as the initial state.
The transition of a cell from one state to another is accomplished
by incrementing the wall voltage at a specified time in the
discharge sequence such that the resulting discharges achieve a
stable equilibrium sequence different from the first. One technique
of incrementing the wall voltage is through the use of a controlled
discharge. FIG. 9 shows some possible waveforms used to achieve
this. When the cell is in the bright state and the sustaining
signal (1) is pulsed at the proper time (2) the resulting discharge
will raise the wall voltage (3) to such a level that on successive
cycles of the sustaining signal the cell will fire in the medium
state. A pulse (4) can be applied to a cell in the medium state
which will result in a discharge raising the wall voltage (5) so
that the cell will be in the dim state on subsequent cycles of the
sustaining signal. The waveforms shown appear on a cell and thus
represent the difference between the voltage applied to the x and y
line whose intersection marks the cell. The x and y correspond to
the matrix array of panel electrodes. The voltages appearing across
all other cells that are common to the selected x line or y line
are too small to change the state at these other cells.
Since the waveforms of FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 6 are all made up of
sections of discrete voltage levels, these control discharge
waveforms can be produced simply by switching the appropriate panel
conductors at appropriate times to the correct voltage levels. One
way of doing this is illustrated by the sustaining signal generator
circuit in FIG. 10 which provides four levels--V.sub.1, V.sub.2,
V.sub.3, and ground through transistor switches 40, 42, 44 and 46
respectively to the x lines connected to one set of matrix panel
electrodes on the schematically illustrated plasma panel. The other
set of matrix panel electrodes are connected to ground through the
corresponding y lines. By referring to x line and y line
hereinafter it is to be understood also to refer to the
corresponding panel electrodes.
For convenience in illustration, the plasma panels shown in Figures
10 and 11 are to be understood to be of the type concerned with the
present subject matter and art as set forth in the aforementioned
co-pending application of Bitzer, Slottow and Willson, and the
listed publications relating thereto. Such plasma panels contain a
plurality of cells containing a gaseous medium, and in which wall
charges are formed relating to the entry of information. The
information is maintained by applying a sustaining signal to the
respective intersecting electrodes associated with the cell to
cooperate with the initial wall charge so as to initiate a
discharge of the gaseous medium and form wall charges in the cell
of reversed polarity--the sustaining cycle being repeated by
reversals of the sustaining signal.
Due to the information of the reversed polarity wall charges which
now oppose the applied sustaining signal, the discharge is rapidly
quenched. For this reason, the cell is sometimes operatively to as
a "pulsing discharge cell" or "minicell" to distinguish it from the
prior well known glow discharge devices. As is known, the prior
glow discharge devices operate with charges in the volume and it is
therefore desirable to maintain such charges in the volume rather
than on the cell walls to maintain (rather than extinguish) the
discharge.
The above summary of operation of the plasma panel and its
individual cells is given here merely for convenience in
understanding the present invention which is concerned with
providing variable intensity and multistates in the plasma panel. A
more detailed description is of course presented in the
publications and the aforementioned copending application.
In FIG. 10, the transistor switches are turned on one at a time in
accordance with signals on lines 60, 62, 64 and 66 from suitable
logic circuits. The square wave of FIG. 4 of course requires only
two levels and the waveform of FIG. 6 requires three. Since the
waveforms of FIG. 2(a) and FIG. 1 require five levels and seven
levels respectively, additional modular circuits could be added to
the point 50 in FIG. 10 to provide the additional voltage levels
required.
To initiate a state at a given cell signals must be provided
selectively at an appropriate x line and y line of the plasma
panel. A selection circuit for providing addressing signals in a
plasma display panel demonstration mode is shown in FIG. 11. The
four level sustaining signal generator in FIG. 10 is connected at
point 50 to the point 50 shown in FIG. 11. The selection circuit in
FIG. 11 thus replaces the direct connection to the panel shown in
the diagram of the sustaining signal generator in FIG. 10.
If electrode line A on the plasma panel is to be selected, it is
connected through a switch to the connector 51 which is connected
to line A. When the signal from the logic circuits is applied to
point 52 the voltage at 51 and at the selected panel electrode
marked A is brought to the voltage level V.sub.B. For purposes of
illustration, only one circuit 53 is shown in FIG. 11 connected at
point 51 to line A. Identical circuits such as circuit 53 can be
connected to each of the remaining x lines. Alternatively, the
single circuit 53 can be used with suitable multiplexing to connect
it to the desired x line.
The lower of the two diodes 70, 71 connected to electrode A will be
back biased and will pass no current. At the same time the control
signal appears at 52, a similar signal from the logic circuit also
appears at 54. This opens the transistor switch 80 from point 75 to
the x-driver at point 50 and allows point 75 to follow point A to
essentially the voltage level established at V.sub.B. The upper
diodes on the remaining lines B to N are open and line A is
effectively isolated from all other horizontal lines.
In a similar way a selective y line, such as line O is brought to
the control voltage V.sub.A and the combination provides, on a
selective basis, the transition shown in FIG. 9 which changed the
states of the cells in the plasma display panel.
In the normal sustaining mode when addressing through the selective
addressing circuit of FIG. 11 does not take place, current can pass
from the x-driver through the switching transistor 80 through the
upper diodes 70 on each of the horizontal lines A-N across the
panel and through the right hand diodes 90 on each of the vertical
y lines and finally through the switching transistor 82 to ground.
When current flows in the other direction it flows from ground
through the left hand diodes 91 on the horizontal lines and back to
the x-driver at point 50. This preserves the low impedance
properties of the driving circuits during sustaining periods. The
circuits shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 were constructed and are
illustrated herein only to demonstrate the feasibility of the
variable intensity concept of the present invention. Those skilled
in the plasma panel art can readily construct other circuits in
accordance with the teachings herein which will provide the
addressing and sustaining waveforms required by the present
invention.
The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of
understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be
understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those
skilled in the art.
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