PLASMA DISPLAY DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DRIVING PLASMA DISPLAY PANEL

Provided are a plasma display device and a method for driving the plasma display panel. The plasma display device with a panel having high luminance can generate a stable address discharge without increasing the voltage required to generate an address discharge when the current accumulated time of the panel has increased. To achieve this advantage, the plasma display device includes an accumulated-time-measurement-circuit and a scan-electrode-driving-circuit. The accumulated-time-measurement-circuit measures the accumulated time during which the plasma display panel is applied with current. The scan-electrode-driving-circuit divides one field period into a plurality of sub-fields each having an initializing period during which the scan electrodes are applied with a gradually decreasing ramp waveform voltage, an address period during which the scan electrodes are applied with a negative scan pulse voltage, and a sustain period. The scan-electrode-driving-circuit generates the gradually decreasing ramp waveform voltage in the initializing period so as to initialize discharge cells, and generates the scan pulse voltage in the address period so as to drive the scan electrodes. The scan-electrode-driving-circuit changes the minimum voltage of the gradually decreasing ramp waveform voltage depending on the accumulated time measured by the accumulated-time-measurement-circuit.