A novel cost-effective driving scheme with fewer power devices for plasma TVs

A novel cost-effective PDP driving scheme, which employs neither path blocking switches nor clamping diodes, is proposed for plasma TVs. The proposed driver utilizes not a path blocking switch but a path blocking diode to electrically separate Y-driver ground and scan low voltage during the ramp-down and address periods. Moreover, it employs not expensive clamping diodes but relatively low-cost RC passive components in the Y and X drivers without degrading the performance. Accordingly, it has benefits such as fewer power devices, simpler structure, and lower cost compared with the prior driver. To confirm the validity of the proposed driver, experimental results using a prototype 42-inch PDP TV module are presented.