The present invention relates to plasma screens and more specifically to the control of cells of a plasma screen.
1. Field of the Invention
A plasma screen is an array type of screen, formed of cells arranged at the intersections of lines and columns, a cell includes a cavity filled with a rare gas, and at least two control electrodes. To create a light point on the screen by using a given cell, the cell is selected by applying a potential difference between its control electrodes, after which the cell gas is ionized, generally by means of a third control electrode. This ionization goes along with an emission of ultraviolet rays. The creation of the light point is obtained by excitation of a red, green, or blue luminescent material by the ultraviolet rays.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Conventionally, the cells of a plasma screen are activated line by line. The non-activated lines are submitted to a quiescent voltage (for example, 150 V). The activated line is brought to an activation voltage (for example, 0 V), the columns being at a deactivation voltage GND (0 V). Then, to activate selected cells in the activated line, the corresponding columns are brought from deactivation voltage GND to an activation voltage VPP (80 V) for a predetermined duration. Thus, the columns corresponding to the selected cells are each submitted to a voltage square pulse of the same amplitude and of same amplitude and the same duration. The columns corresponding to the unselected cells of the activated line are maintained at voltage OND. Thus, the cells to be activated are submitted, during the voltage square pulse, to a column-line voltage equal to VPP-GND (80 V). All non-activated lines are at the quiescent voltage (150 V). The column voltage being either 0 V or 80 V, the cells of the non-activated lines are reverse biased and are not submitted to a voltage capable of starting the gas ionization.
Block 14 is provided to submit column 6 to a voltage square pulse when its input E receives a logic “1” (for example, a voltage VDD equal to 5 V), then a logic “0” (0 V). When input E receives a logic “1”, block 14 charges capacitor C2 to a voltage substantially equal to VPP (which will be called VPP for simplicity). When input E receives a logic “0”, block 14 discharges capacitor C2 and the voltage of column 6 switches from VPP to GND. The value of the capacitor C2 of a column 6 depends on the voltages to which the neighboring columns located on either side of this column 6 are submitted. Thus, when a column 6 is submitted to the voltage square pulse, the capacitor C2 of this column has a maximum value if none of the two neighboring columns is submitted to a voltage square pulse. Capacitor C2 has a minimum value if the two neighboring columns are submitted to a voltage square pulse, and a value substantially equal to half of the sum of the maximum and minimum values, which will be called hereafter the median value, if only one of the neighboring columns is also submitted to a voltage square pulse.
It is important for the proper operation of a plasma screen that the rise and fall times of the voltage square pulse provided to each selected column be smaller than a predetermined maximum duration. The maximum rise time of the voltage square pulse may be different from the maximum fall time of the voltage square pulse. For simplicity, they will be assumed to be equal. The maximum admissible rise/fall duration of the voltage square pulse and the different values of capacitance C2 are features of each type of plasma screen. For a given type of screen, blocks 14 are provided, to each provide (and receive) a predetermined current enabling charging (and discharging) the capacitor C2 with the maximum capacitance of he considered screen type in a time shorter than the maximum admissible rise/fall duration of the voltage square pulse for this type of screen. Especially, transistors T1 and T2 are sized to conduct this predetermined current when on.
However, when capacitance C2 has its median value or its minimum value, the rise/fall durations of the voltage square pulse are shorter than the rise/fall durations observed for the maximum capacitance C2. Accordingly, block 14 provides or absorbs the preceding predetermined current for a variable duration depending on the selection of the neighboring columns. As a result, each block 14 introduces, when capacitance C2 has its minimum value, intense variations in the current consumption for very short durations, which may create electromagnetic disturbances on the power supply and the ground of the control circuit, which is not desirable.
Further, a control circuit having its blocks 14 sized to control a screen of a specific type may not be usable to control another type of screen.
An object of the present invention is to provide a circuit for controlling cells of a plasma screen having an operation which is rather unlikely to create electromagnetic disturbances.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a control circuit which can easily be adapted to various types of plasma screens.
To achieve these and other objects, the present invention provides a circuit for controlling a plasma screen formed of cells arranged at the intersections of lines and columns, including, for each screen column, a column control block enabling selection of the column associated therewith by applying to said column a voltage square pulse during which said column is brought to a first voltage substantially equal to a first predetermined voltage, then to a second voltage substantially equal to a second predetermined voltage, said column having a different capacitance according to whether the neighboring columns are selected or not, each column control block including a first means adapted to charging the capacitor of said column in a first predetermined duration when said column is brought to said first voltage, and a second means for discharging the capacitor of said column in a second predetermined duration when said column is brought to said second voltage, the second means is controlled by a control means as a function of an estimation of the capacitance of said column obtained from data indicating the selection of the non-selection of the columns adjacent to said columns.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be discussed in detail in the following non-limiting description of specific embodiments, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention provides a control circuit in which each column control block includes means for having the rise and/or fall time of the voltage square pulse provided to each column take a same predetermined value whatever the value of the capacitor of said column.
The same references represent the same elements in the different drawings. Only those elements necessary to the understanding of the present invention have been shown in the following drawings.
When input terminal E receives a logic “1”, transistors T7, T6, and T4 turn off, transistors T8, T5, and T3 turn on and the current I1 provided by constant current source CS1 charges capacitor C. It is assumed that at the beginning, capacitor C is discharged. The charge of capacitor C occurs at constant current and the gate voltage of transistor T1 changes from 0 to a maximum value (substantially VPP) in a constant duration. Transistor T1 is connected as a voltage follower. The voltage of output terminal O increases with the gate voltage of transistor T1, in a constant duration, whatever the value of capacitor C2 of column 6. The rise time of the voltage square pulse thus is constant.
When input terminal E of the column control block receives a logic “0”, transistors T8, T5, T3, and T1 turn off and transistors T&, T6, and T4 turn on. Control means 28 is activated and it submits the gate of transistor T2 to an activation voltage selected from among three predetermined activation voltages. According to the present invention, the activation voltage provided by means 28 is different according to whether the value of capacitor C2 is maximum, median, or minimum, so that transistor T2 is respectively conducts a maximum, median, or minimum current and that the discharge duration of capacitor C2 is constant. Control means 28 includes three control terminals Qi, Qi−1, Qi+1. Terminal Qi is connected to the Q output of register 16, which is coupled to input E of control block 14′ of the considered column 6, said to be of rank i. Terminal Qi−1 is connected to the Q output of register 16, which is coupled to control block 14′ of the preceding column, of rank i−1. Terminal Qi+1 is connected to output Q of register 16, which is coupled to the control block 14′ of the next column, of rank i+1.
It should be noted that voltages Vmax, Vmed, and Vmin can be generated by adjustable voltage sources, to adapt the control circuit to different types of plasma screens.
When input terminal E of the column control block is at a logic “0”, transistors T7, T13, and T12 are on, transistors T15, T14, and T11 are off and means 28 is activated. As in the preceding block 14′, control means 28 is controlled according to the Q outputs of register 16 and it submits the gate of transistor T2 to an activation voltage selected from among three predetermined voltages, so that the discharge duration of capacitor C2 is constant.
When input terminal E receives a logic “1”, transistors T7, T12, T13, and T2 are off and transistors T15, T14 and T11 are on. The current flowing through transistor T11 charges capacitor C2. The three currents I3max, I3med, and I3min are adapted to ensuring a predetermined constant rise duration of the voltage square pulse when capacitance C2 respectively has its maximum, median and minimum value.
The operation of decoder 64 is the following. When only terminal Qi is at “1”, output D3 is at “1” and outputs D2, D1 are at “0”. When terminal Qi and only one of terminals Qi−1 and Qi+1 are at “1”, output D2 is at “1” and outputs D3, D1 are at “0”. When terminals Qi, Qi−1, and Qi+1 are at “1”, output D1 is at “1” and outputs D3, D2 are at “0”.
Transistor T24 is on and transistors T20 and T16 are off when capacitance C2 has a maximum value. Transistor T20 is on and transistors T24 and T16 are off when capacitor C2 has a median value. Transistor T16 is on and transistors T24 and T20 are off when capacitance C2 has a minimum value. The channel width and length of transistors T26, T22, and T18 are provided in such a way that these transistors are respectively run through by currents I3max, I3med, and I3min. Current source CS4 may be fixed, or may be adjustable to adjust the rise time of the voltage square pulse to different types of plasma screens.
The present invention is likely to have various alterations, modifications, and improvements which will readily occur to those skilled in the art. In particular, the elements used to form column control blocks 14′ and 14″ are given as an example only, and those skilled in the art will easily adapt the present invention to other embodiments using other elements having equivalent functions. For example, the MOS transistors may be replaced with bipolar transistors.
Further, in the described embodiments, column control blocks 14′ and 14″ provide voltage square pulses having constant rise and fall times. However, these two aspects may be dissociated from each other and it is possible to provide a column control block providing voltage square pulses in which only the rise time is constant or only the fall time is constant, without departing from the field of the present invention.
Moreover, the described embodiments apply to plasma screens in which the capacitor C2 of each column 6 can take three values, only the influence of the columns adjacent to the selected column having been considered. Of course, the influence of other columns neighboring the selected column may be taken into account, those skilled in the art easily adapting the present invention to the case where capacitance C2 can take more than three values.
Having thus described at least one illustrative embodiment of the invention, various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example only and is not intended as limiting. The invention is limited only as defined in the following claims and the equivalents thereto.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/FR01/03574 | 11/14/2001 | WO | 00 | 10/15/2002 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO02/41292 | 5/23/2002 | WO | A |
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4492957 | Marentic | Jan 1985 | A |
4496879 | Suste | Jan 1985 | A |
4550274 | Weber | Oct 1985 | A |
5081400 | Weber et al. | Jan 1992 | A |
5909199 | Miyazaki et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
6642663 | Okamura et al. | Nov 2003 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20030107327 A1 | Jun 2003 | US |