JP4848628B2 - Organic electroluminescence equipment, electronic equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescence device, a color adjustment method thereof, and an electronic device.

In the field of display devices such as organic electroluminescence devices (organic EL devices), there are many demands for higher image quality, for example, the digitization of photographs is progressing at the same time. Development of a display device that can enjoy vivid images is desired. In displaying an image, color reproducibility in an organic EL device is also important, and it is desired to maintain stable color reproducibility over a long period of time.
However, in a current-driven light-emitting element such as an organic electroluminescence element, a driving current flows in the element, so that there is a deterioration with time, which is more or less. For example, in the case of an organic EL device, it is reported that there is a remarkable deterioration with time. The deterioration with time of the organic electroluminescence element is roughly classified into two types. One is deterioration in which the current decreases with respect to the voltage applied to the organic electroluminescence element. The other is deterioration in which the amount of light emission decreases with respect to the voltage applied to the organic electroluminescent element or the current flowing through the organic electroluminescent element. Further, the deterioration with time occurs with variation for each organic electroluminescence element. Further, in an organic EL device that performs active driving, deterioration of the TFT over time may occur due to a current flowing through the TFT as a driving element. For this reason, in such an organic EL device, when such an organic electroluminescence element or a driving TFT deteriorates with time, image quality deterioration becomes a problem. That is, deterioration in which the amount of current decreases and deterioration in which the amount of light emission decreases causes a decrease in screen brightness, and variations in the amount of current decrease and variations in the amount of light emission cause screen unevenness. In particular, these deteriorations depend on the light emission characteristics of the organic electroluminescence element at the time of manufacture, variations in the voltage / current characteristics and threshold characteristics of the driving TFT, the history of the display pattern, etc. At the same time, it causes screen unevenness.
Various measures have been proposed so far as countermeasures against such problems. Regarding this point, refer to the following Patent Documents 1 to 9.
JP 2003-317944 A JP-A-10-319910 JP 2003-76333 A JP 2001-236040 A JP 2001-13904 A JP 2000-187467 A JP 2001-35655 A JP 2000-122598 A JP-A-9-305146

The above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 to 9 are all intended to perform luminance correction using some kind of detection circuit. Among them, Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 3 performs luminance correction using an optical sensor. On the other hand, the other is intended to perform luminance correction by detecting a change in drive voltage or drive current. Although luminance correction is an important factor, the deterioration of RGB pixels does not progress uniformly, so it is necessary to detect and correct each of RGB. It is not preferable to proceed with the correction of the image data based on the RGB separate information because the chromaticity changes. In other words, in terms of image quality, it is desirable to make corrections so that the change in chromaticity is reduced. However, none of the techniques of Patent Documents 1 to 9 has been sufficiently considered in this regard. . For this reason, sufficient color reproducibility could not be obtained over a long period of time.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a high-quality organic EL device capable of obtaining good color reproducibility over a long period of time and a color adjustment method thereof. It is in. It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic device including a display unit that can display such a high-quality display.

In order to solve the above problems, an organic electroluminescence device of the present invention includes an organic electroluminescence panel, an image processing unit that converts an input image signal into a display signal and supplies the display signal to the organic electroluminescence panel, and the organic electroluminescence panel. Colorimetric means for measuring the chromaticity of the emitted light output from the electroluminescence panel, and the display signal supplied from the image processing means to the organic electroluminescence panel is obtained by the colorimetry means It can be changed based on chromaticity information.
According to this configuration, since the chromaticity information of the emitted light can be easily obtained by the colorimetric means provided in the organic electroluminescence panel, the change in the chromaticity of the emitted light based on the obtained chromaticity information. Can be detected. And based on such chromaticity information, since the display signal output from the image processing means can be changed, it becomes possible to obtain an appropriate display state corresponding to the chromaticity change over time of the organic electroluminescence panel, It is possible to provide an organic electroluminescence device capable of obtaining faithful color reproducibility over a long period of time.

In the organic electroluminescence device of the present invention, a storage unit that holds a reference value of chromaticity information of light emitted from the organic electroluminescence panel, a reference value of the chromaticity information held in the storage unit, and the colorimetric unit Color difference deriving means for deriving color difference information from the chromaticity information output from the display, and the display signal can be changed based on the color difference information obtained by the color difference deriving means. be able to.
According to this configuration, the color difference information is obtained by a calculation process using the chromaticity information obtained by the color measurement unit and the reference chromaticity information held in the storage unit, and the color difference information is obtained. Since the display signal supplied to the organic electroluminescence panel is changed based on this, the chromaticity deviation of the emitted light with respect to the reference value can be obtained easily and accurately, and the chromaticity deviation can be corrected. The display signal can be changed. Therefore, according to this structure, the organic electroluminescent apparatus which can maintain faithful color reproducibility stably can be provided. Examples of the color difference information derived by the color difference deriving unit include a color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* in the CIELAB color space and a color difference ΔEu ^* v ^{* in the} CIEUV color space.

In the organic electroluminescence device of the present invention, it is preferable that the color difference information derived by the color difference deriving unit is a color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* in the CIELAB color space. In particular, the color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* is preferable because the color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* can be well matched with the result of the visual experiment on the color difference, and the color reproducibility of the liquid crystal display device corresponding to human vision can be maintained.
The color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* is a distance between two coordinates in the CIELAB space. Thus, if the display signal supplied to the organic EL panel is made different based on the value of the color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* , the display signal supplied to the objective organic electroluminescence panel independent of the device is made different. Since the display signal can be changed based on an objective chromaticity difference that does not depend, the display state can be more stably maintained.

In the organic electroluminescence device of the present invention, it is preferable that the display signal output from the image processing means is changed when the value of the color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. That is, it is preferable to change the display signal supplied to the organic electroluminescence panel when the emitted light output from the organic electroluminescence panel is light having a predetermined color difference with respect to the reference value.
With such a configuration, color adjustment by changing the display signal can be performed based on an objective determination criterion. For example, when the color change of the emitted light is difficult to distinguish, color adjustment is performed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the color adjustment operation from affecting the operation speed or the like of the organic electroluminescence device.

In the organic electroluminescence device of the present invention, it is preferable that the display signal output from the image processing means is changed when the ΔEa ^* b ^* is 3 or more.
With such a configuration, the display signal can be corrected before the change in display color becomes significant, and effective color adjustment becomes possible.

In the organic electroluminescence device of the present invention, it is preferable that the organic electroluminescence device includes a color correction unit that corrects the display signal supplied from the image processing unit to the organic electroluminescence panel.
According to this configuration, the color correction unit that corrects the display signal based on the chromaticity information, the color difference information, or the color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* is provided, so that the chromaticity change of the emitted light can be corrected appropriately and quickly. It is possible to provide an organic electroluminescence device that can be used.

In the organic electroluminescence device of the present invention, the image processing means includes a color conversion table for converting the image signal into the display signal, and the color correction means can correct the color conversion table. It can be.
With such a configuration, a display signal reflecting color correction based on color difference information can be generated, and once color adjustment is performed, the contents can be held in the color conversion table. Therefore, it is not necessary to correct the display signal, and there is no inconvenience such as a decrease in the operation speed of the organic electroluminescence device.

In the organic electroluminescence device of the present invention, it is preferable that the storage unit has a configuration capable of holding chromaticity information obtained by the colorimetric unit. Further, in the organic electroluminescence device of the present invention, the color correction unit and the storage unit are configured to be operable in conjunction with each other, and the chromaticity information when the correction process by the color correction unit is executed, It is preferable that the storage unit stores the chromaticity information reference value (that is, the chromaticity information reference value held in the storage unit is updated based on correction processing by the color correction unit). .
When adopting the configuration for updating the color conversion table as described above, it is particularly preferable that the chromaticity information in the storage means can be updated in this way. This is because the color conversion table after color adjustment reflects the correction based on the color difference information, and thus it is necessary to hold the state of the emitted light corresponding to the color conversion table.

In the organic electroluminescence device of the present invention, it is preferable that the colorimetric means includes a light receiving element formed on the organic electroluminescence panel.
According to this configuration, the color measuring means can be mounted on the panel with a simple configuration, and the configuration is effective in terms of ease of manufacturing and manufacturing cost.

In the organic electroluminescence device of the present invention, the organic electroluminescence panel includes a light-transmitting substrate and a light emitting element formed on the substrate, and takes out light emitted from the light emitting element from the substrate side. It may be a bottom emission type panel, and the light receiving element may be disposed between the light emitting element and the substrate and configured to be able to directly receive light emitted from the light emitting element.
According to this configuration, the light receiving element can be formed simultaneously with the formation of the driving element that drives the light emitting element, and thus the manufacturing process can be simplified.

In the organic electroluminescence device of the present invention, the light receiving element may be disposed in a planar region of the light emitting element.
According to this configuration, since the light output from the light emitting element is directly incident on the light receiving element, stable detection sensitivity can be obtained. For this reason, for example, when a plurality of panels are manufactured, it is possible to further suppress variations between the panels.

In the organic electroluminescence device of the present invention, it is preferable that the color measurement means is provided outside an effective display area of the organic electroluminescence panel.
The color measuring means may be provided either inside or outside the effective display area. In the case of being provided inside the effective display area, the influence on the display can be suppressed by providing it in an area between adjacent display pixels (for example, an area where a bank is formed). However, in consideration of the size of the light receiving element, the degree of freedom of the configuration, and the like, it can be said that it is advantageous to dispose the color measurement means outside the effective display area. In this case, a dummy pixel that does not contribute to display may be formed outside the effective display area, and the emitted light of this dummy pixel may be measured.

In the organic electroluminescent apparatus of this invention, it is preferable to set it as the structure by which the said color measurement means is provided according to the color number of the emitted light of the said organic electroluminescent panel.
As described above, since chromaticity degradation does not progress uniformly for each color, it is important to detect and correct the chromaticity degradation information for each color. In this configuration, since the color measuring means is provided for each color, the color adjustment of the organic electroluminescence device can be performed with higher accuracy.

In the organic electroluminescence device of the present invention, a plurality of color regions are provided outside the effective display region, and each color region includes a plurality of light emitting elements having the same emission color, and the plurality of light emitting elements. A colorimetric means for measuring the chromaticity of the emitted light can be provided.
When the color measurement means is provided for each color region in this way, the amount of light incident on the color measurement means increases, so that the detection sensitivity increases and the data can be easily compared. Moreover, since it becomes the average light quantity from a some light emitting element, the stable detection sensitivity comes to be obtained, for example, when a some panel is manufactured, the variation between panels can be suppressed more.

The organic electroluminescent device color adjusting method of the present invention includes an organic electroluminescent panel, an image processing unit that converts an input image signal into a display signal and supplies the display signal to the organic electroluminescent panel, and an organic electroluminescent panel. A color adjustment method for an organic electroluminescence device comprising a colorimetric means for measuring the chromaticity of the emitted light emitted, the chromaticity information measured by the colorimetric means, and the previously stored light emission Calculating color difference information from a reference value of chromaticity information, detecting a change with time of the emitted light based on the calculation result; and when the change with time is detected, from the image processing means to the organic electro A display signal subjected to correction signal processing based on the color difference information is output to the luminescence panel. Characterized by a step.
According to this color adjustment method, the chromaticity of the emitted light output from the organic electroluminescence panel can be measured, and the display of the organic electroluminescence panel can be corrected based on the measurement result. Despite the color change of the luminescence panel over time, it is possible to reproduce the color faithfully in the organic electroluminescence device.

  An electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the organic electroluminescence device according to the present invention described above. According to this configuration, an electronic apparatus including a display unit that can faithfully reproduce an input image signal and can maintain such reproducibility well over a long period of time is provided.

[First Embodiment]
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, as one embodiment of the organic electroluminescence device (organic EL device) of the present invention, a color organic EL device in which organic electroluminescence elements as light emitting elements are arranged on a substrate as pixels, particularly an organic electroluminescence element. A bottom emission type organic EL device that takes out emitted light from the substrate side will be described as an example. This organic EL device can be suitably used as display means for electronic devices, for example.

  FIG. 1 is a circuit configuration diagram of an organic electroluminescence panel provided in the organic EL device of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a plan configuration diagram thereof, and FIG. 3 is a plan configuration of each pixel region 71 provided in the organic electroluminescence panel. FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a pixel driving portion such as a TFT mainly in the pixel region 71, and FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a bank (partition member) that partitions pixels. is there. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration along the line AA in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the organic electroluminescence panel 70 includes a plurality of scanning lines 131 on a substrate, a plurality of signal lines 132 extending in a direction intersecting the scanning lines 131, and the signal lines 132 in parallel. A plurality of extending power supply lines (common power supply lines) 133 are wired, and a pixel region 71 is provided at each intersection of the scanning lines 131 and the signal lines 132.

  For the signal line 132, a data side driving circuit 72 including a shift register, a level shifter, a video line, an analog switch, and the like is provided. On the other hand, for the scanning line 131, a scanning side driving circuit 73 including a shift register, a level shifter, and the like is provided. Each pixel region 71 includes a switching TFT (thin film transistor) 142 including a gate electrode to which a scanning signal is supplied via a scanning line 131, and a signal line 132 via the switching TFT (thin film transistor) 142. A storage capacitor cap that holds the supplied image signal, a driving TFT 143 that includes a gate electrode to which the image signal held by the storage capacitor cap is supplied, and is electrically connected to the power supply line 133 via the driving TFT 143 Then, a pixel electrode 141 into which a driving current flows from the power supply line 133 and an organic functional layer 140 sandwiched between the pixel electrode 141 and the common electrode 154 are provided. An element formed by the pixel electrode 141, the common electrode 154, and the organic functional layer 140 is a light emitting element.

  Under such a configuration, when the scanning line 131 is driven and the switching TFT 142 is turned on, the potential of the signal line 132 at that time is held in the holding capacitor cap, and depending on the state of the holding capacitor cap, The on / off state of the driving TFT 143 is determined. Then, a current flows from the power supply line 133 to the pixel electrode 141 through the channel of the driving TFT 143, and further a current flows to the common electrode 154 through the organic functional layer 140, so that the organic functional layer 140 has a current amount flowing therethrough. In response, light is emitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the organic electroluminescence panel 70 having the circuit configuration shown in FIG. 1 is a pixel connected to a switching TFT (not shown) on a substrate 201 having electrical insulation and translucency. The pixel portion 3 (inside the one-dot chain line in FIG. 2) having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view in which electrodes are arranged in a matrix on the substrate 201 is configured. The pixel unit 3 is divided into a display region 4 in the center part (within a one-dot chain line in the pixel unit 3) and a dummy region 5 arranged around the display region 4. The display area 4 is an area formed by the pixels 71 arranged in a matrix and is also referred to as an effective display area or a functional area. In the display area 4, three-color display dots (pixels 71) R, G, and B each having a pixel electrode are arranged in a matrix in such a manner as to be spaced apart in the vertical and horizontal directions of the paper surface. A non-display area is formed outside the display area 4, and a dummy area 5 adjacent to the display area 4 is formed in the non-display area. In FIG. 2, scanning line driving circuits 73 are arranged on the left and right sides of the display area 4, and data line driving circuits 72 are arranged on the upper and lower sides of the display area 4 in FIG. The scanning line driving circuit 73 and the data line driving circuit 72 are arranged at the peripheral edge of the dummy region 5.

  Further, an inspection circuit 90 is disposed above the data line driving circuit 72 in FIG. The inspection circuit 90 is a circuit for inspecting the operating state of the organic electroluminescence panel 70, and includes, for example, inspection information output means (not shown) for outputting the inspection result to the outside, and a display device during manufacture or at the time of shipment. The quality and defect can be inspected. The inspection circuit 90 is also arranged on the lower layer side of the dummy region 5. Further, a driving external substrate 101 made of a flexible printed circuit board or the like is connected to the substrate 201, and the external driving circuit 100 is mounted on the driving external substrate 101.

  Next, when viewing the planar structure of the pixel region 71 shown in FIG. 3A, the pixel region 71 has four sides of the pixel electrode 141 that is substantially rectangular in plan view, the signal line 132, the power supply line 133, the scanning line 131, and the like. The arrangement is surrounded by other pixel electrode scanning lines (not shown). Further, in the cross-sectional structure of the pixel region 71 shown in FIG. 4, the driving TFT 143 is provided on the substrate (base) P, and the substrate P is interposed via a plurality of insulating films formed to cover the driving TFT 143. A light emitting element 200 is formed thereon. The light emitting element 200 is mainly configured by an organic functional layer 140 provided in a region surrounded by a bank (partition member) 150 erected on the substrate P. The organic functional layer 140 is shared with the pixel electrode 141. A structure sandwiched between the electrodes 154 is provided. Here, when viewing the planar structure shown in FIG. 3B, the bank 150 has a partition region 151 (opening) having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view corresponding to the region where the pixel electrode 141 is formed. The previous organic functional layer 140 is formed in the region 151.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the driving TFT 143 includes a channel region 143c via a source region 143a, a drain region 143b, a channel region 143c formed in the semiconductor film 210, and a gate insulating film 220 formed on the surface of the semiconductor layer. And a gate electrode 143A facing the main body. A first interlayer insulating film 230 is formed on the semiconductor film 210 and the gate insulating film 220 so as to cover them, and contact holes 232 that penetrate the first interlayer insulating film 230 and reach the semiconductor film 210. A drain electrode 236 and a source electrode 238 are embedded in the H.234, and the respective electrodes are conductively connected to the drain region 143b and the source region 143a. A planarization insulating film (second interlayer insulating film) 240 is formed in the first interlayer insulating film 230, and a part of the pixel electrode 141 is embedded in a contact hole penetrating the second interlayer insulating film 240. Has been. The pixel electrode 141 and the drain electrode 236 are conductively connected, so that the driving TFT 143 and the pixel electrode 141 are electrically connected. An inorganic bank 149 made of an inorganic insulating material is formed so as to partially run on the peripheral edge of the pixel electrode 141, and a bank 150 made of an organic material is formed on the inorganic bank 149.

  The organic functional layer 140 constituting the light emitting element 200 includes a hole transport layer (charge transport layer) 140A and a light emitting layer 140B. The hole transport layer 140A is a layer provided for the purpose of enhancing the charge transport property to the light emitting layer 140B and enhancing the light emission efficiency, and as its formation material, a benzidine derivative, a styrylamine derivative, a triphenylmethane derivative, Low molecular weight compounds such as triphenyl (or aryl) amine derivatives and hydrazone derivatives, polyaniline, polythiophene, polyvinylcarbazole, a mixture of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and polystyrene sulfonic acid (PEDOT / PSS; Polyethylenedioxythiophene / Examples thereof include polymer compounds such as Polystyrenesulfone, among which α-NPD (α-naphthylphenyldiamine) is a frequently used compound and is particularly preferable.

As a material for forming the light emitting layer 140B that forms the main light emitting portion of the light emitting element 200, a known light emitting material capable of emitting fluorescence or phosphorescence can be used. In the case of this embodiment, the light emitting layer 140B is a liquid phase forming layer formed by a liquid phase method such as a droplet discharge method. As a material for forming the light emitting layer 140B, (poly) fluorene derivative (PF), (poly) paraphenylene vinylene derivative (PPV), polyphenylene derivative (PP), polyparaphenylene derivative (PPP), polyvinylcarbazole (PVK), polythiophene Derivatives, polysilanes such as polymethylphenylsilane (PMPS), etc. are preferably used. In addition, these polymer materials include polymer materials such as perylene dyes, coumarin dyes, rhodamine dyes, rubrene, perylene, 9,10-diphenylanthracene, tetraphenylbutadiene, Nile red, coumarin 6, and quinacridone. It can also be used by doping a low molecular weight material such as. Examples of such organic compounds that emit red light include, for example, polymer compounds having an alkyl or alkoxy substituent on the benzene ring of a polyvinylene styrene derivative, and high molecular weight compounds having a cyano group on the vinylene group of a polyvinylene styrene derivative. Examples thereof include molecular compounds. Examples of organic compounds that emit green light include polyvinylene styrene derivatives in which an alkyl, alkoxy, or aryl derivative substituent is introduced into a benzene ring. Examples of organic compounds that emit blue light include polyfluorene derivatives such as a copolymer of dialkylfluorene and anthracene.
In addition, it replaces with the polymeric material mentioned above, a conventionally well-known low molecular material can also be used. Further, an electron injection layer such as a laminated film of lithium fluoride and calcium may be provided on the light emitting layer 140B as necessary.

  As the substrate P, a highly transparent substrate such as glass is used so that light emitted from the light emitting element 200 can be transmitted without loss. Similarly, the pixel electrode 141 is formed of a light-transmitting conductive material such as ITO (indium tin oxide). The common electrode 154 is formed on the substrate P in a state of covering the light emitting layer 140 </ b> B, the upper surface of the bank 150, and the wall surface forming the side surface of the bank 150. As a material for forming the common electrode 154, a highly reflective metal material such as Al (aluminum) is suitable. A cathode protective layer may be formed on the upper layer side of the common electrode 154. By providing such a cathode protective layer, an effect of preventing the common electrode 154 from being corroded during the manufacturing process can be obtained. The cathode protective layer can be formed of an inorganic compound, for example, a silicon compound such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon nitride oxide. By covering the common electrode 154 with a cathode protective layer made of an inorganic compound, intrusion of oxygen or the like to the cathode made of an inorganic oxide can be satisfactorily prevented.

Next, the structure of the display area 4 and its peripheral part will be described.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a planar structure of the display region 4 and the dummy region 5 which is the peripheral portion thereof, and FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section taken along the line AA ′ of FIG. In these drawings, element structures such as TFTs and wiring structures such as scanning lines, signal lines, and power supply lines are omitted or simplified.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the pixel unit 3 is provided with a rectangular display area 4 and a dummy area 5 adjacent to the display area 4. In the display area 4, an R pixel column composed of red pixels (R pixel 71R), a G pixel column composed of green pixels (G pixel 71G), and a B pixel column composed of blue pixels (B pixel 71B), respectively. The display area 4 is provided in stripes in the short side direction (the vertical direction in the figure). These R pixel column, G pixel column, and B pixel column are periodically arranged along the long side direction (the left-right direction in the drawing) of the display region 4. In the dummy area 5, a red dummy pixel (R dummy pixel 75 </ b> R), a green dummy pixel (G dummy pixel 75 </ b> G), and a blue dummy pixel (B dummy pixel 75 </ b> B) are associated with the R, G, and B pixel columns. Each is arranged. These dummy pixels are arranged in the vicinity of the edge of the display area 4 so as to be continuous with the corresponding color pixel row. The dummy pixels 75R, 75G, and 75B are provided on the upper side and the lower side of the display area 4, respectively, and are arranged in a row along these edges. The dummy pixels 75R, 75G, and 75B have the same configuration as the pixels 71R, 71G, and 71B in the display area 4, and are lit individually or collectively for each color by external control. .

  Color sensors 180R, 180G, and 180B are provided outside the dummy pixels 75R, 75G, and 75B. The color sensors 180R, 180G, and 180B are provided in correspondence with the R dummy pixels 75R, G dummy pixels 75G, and B dummy pixels 75B, respectively, and detect light from the corresponding dummy pixels. ing. The color sensors 180R, 180G, and 180B include light receiving elements such as photodiodes and phototransistors, and are formed at the same time as the drive elements and drive circuits in the display area 4 are formed. Each of the color sensors 180R, 180G, and 180B functions as a color measurement unit that performs color measurement of light incident from the corresponding dummy pixels 75R, 75G, and 75B, and the organic electroluminescence panel 70 includes the color sensors 180R, 180G, and 180B. The display color can be adjusted based on the chromaticity information output from.

Next, referring to the cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. 6, the light emitting elements 200 each including the pixel electrode 141, the organic functional layer 140, and the common electrode 154 are arranged in a matrix on the substrate P. These light emitting elements 200 include a light emitting element 200 as a display pixel 71 and a light emitting element 200 as a dummy pixel 75. A circuit layer 250 is provided between the light-emitting elements 200 and the substrate P. The circuit layer 250 includes the scanning line 131, the signal line 132, the power supply line 133, the storage capacitor cap, the switching thin film transistor 142, A driving thin film transistor 143 and the like are provided. Further, on the left and right sides of the display area 4 in the figure, a color sensor 180 is disposed in the vicinity of the light emitting element 200 to be the dummy pixel 75. Further, outside the color sensor 180, the data side driving circuit 72, 72 is arranged. The color sensor 180 and the data side driving circuit 72 are provided in the circuit layer 250 of the dummy area 5. The advantage of disposing the light receiving element next to the pixel is that the pixel structure is the same as that of the effective pixel region, so that the thickness of the light emitting layer can be made the same as that of the effective pixel.
An adhesive layer 171 and a sealing substrate 170 are stacked over the entire surface of the region including the light emitting elements 200 arranged in a matrix. The adhesive layer 171 and the sealing substrate 170 form a sealing structure.

Next, the control circuit of the organic EL device will be described.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the organic EL device 1, and FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the image processing unit 310 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the organic EL device 1 mainly includes an organic electroluminescence panel 70, a control unit 300, and an image processing unit (image processing unit) 310, and further includes a chromaticity detection unit 320 and a color difference calculation unit. (Color difference deriving means) 330 and a memory (storage means) 340 are provided.

  As described above, the organic electroluminescence panel 70 includes the plurality of scanning lines 131, the plurality of data lines 132, the plurality of power supply lines 133, the plurality of pixels 71 provided corresponding to the intersections thereof, Drive circuit 350 connected to the pixel 71, and a color sensor 180. The drive circuit 350 includes a scan side drive circuit 73 connected to the scan line 131, a data side drive circuit 72 connected to the data line 132, a power line drive circuit connected to the power line, and the like.

  The control unit 300 functions as a timing signal generation unit in the organic EL device of the present embodiment, and performs various types according to a vertical scanning signal Vsync, a horizontal scanning signal Hsync, a dot clock signal dCLK, a clock CLK, and the like supplied from a host device (not shown). Are generated and output to the drive circuit 350 of the organic electroluminescence panel 70.

  The image processing unit 310 converts an image signal DATA input from a host device (not shown) into a display signal Ds in a form that can be appropriately displayed on the organic electroluminescence panel 70, and outputs the display signal Ds as shown in FIG. An A / D converter 311 that converts an analog image signal into a digital signal, a color converter 312 that applies a color conversion table 314 to each of the RGB image signals and performs predetermined color conversion, and a digital signal A D / A conversion unit 313 that converts the analog display signal Ds and outputs the analog display signal Ds, and a table generation unit (color correction unit) 315 that corrects the color conversion table 314 based on the color difference information output from the color difference calculation unit 330 are provided. It is configured.

  The color conversion table 314 is an LUT (lookup table) that holds a correspondence table between input values and output values. In this embodiment, the input / output profile of the organic electroluminescence panel 70 (input / output characteristics unique to the panel). Is retained. Based on the color conversion table 314, the color conversion unit 312 converts the input RGB digital signal (image signal) into an RGB digital signal (display signal) for liquid crystal panel output. In some cases, the color conversion unit 312 may include a gamma correction table for performing gamma correction on the image signal. The table generation unit 315 updates the color conversion table 314 based on the color difference information input from the color difference calculation unit 330.

  The chromaticity detection unit 320 drives the color sensor 180 (color sensors 180R, 180G, and 180B shown in FIG. 5), reads out their outputs, and outputs chromaticity information to the color difference calculation unit 330. The color difference calculation unit 330 compares the input chromaticity information with the chromaticity information stored in advance in the memory 340 and detects a color change with time of the illumination light.

Hereinafter, a color adjustment method of the organic EL device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.
In order to perform color adjustment of the organic EL device by the method according to the present invention, first, color measurement of emitted light output from the dummy pixel 75 is performed by the color sensor 180 provided in the organic electroluminescence panel 70 (step S1). ). This color measurement can be performed, for example, by turning on only the dummy pixel 75 in the ON sequence when the panel is turned on. The chromaticity information read by the chromaticity detection unit 320 is output to the color difference calculation unit 330 through a color space conversion process performed as necessary. In the case of this embodiment, the device-dependent color signal (RGB value) output from the color sensor 180 is converted into a device-independent color signal (tristimulus value XYZ) and output to the color difference calculation unit 330 as chromaticity information. Is done.

  When converting the color signal from the RGB value to the XYZ value, linear conversion as shown in the following (Equation 1) can be used. In (Expression 1), M is a 3 × 3 RGB → XYZ conversion matrix, and indicates the color characteristics of the color sensor 180. (Α, β, γ) are correction terms. The color signal conversion function may be implemented in the chromaticity detection unit 320 as an arithmetic circuit that executes the calculation of (Equation 1), and an LUT (lookup table) that can be referred to from the chromaticity detection unit 320 is prepared. The arithmetic circuit may be mounted as an arithmetic circuit that performs interpolation calculation while referring to the LUT. Further, this arithmetic circuit may be mounted on the chromaticity arithmetic unit 330.

Next, the color difference calculation unit 330 performs color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* (color difference information) by calculation processing based on the chromaticity information input from the chromaticity detection unit 320 and the chromaticity information held in the memory (storage unit) 340. ) And is output to the table generation unit 315 of the image processing unit 310 (step S2). Specifically, first, the color signal (X, Y, Z) input from the chromaticity detection unit 320 is converted into the CIELAB color space using the following (Equation 2). In (Expression 2), (Xn, Yn, Zn) represents X, Y, Z of white light, and is a value obtained by normalizing Xn, Zn with Yn = 100.

The values (L ^* ₁ , a ^* ₁ , b ^* ₁ ) held in the memory 240 in advance and the values (L ^* ₂ , a ^* ₂ , b ^* ₂ ) obtained based on (Equation ₂ ) Is used to determine the color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* by the equation shown in (Formula 3) below. The values (L ^* ₁ , a ^* ₁ , b ^* ₁ ) held in the memory 340 are the light emitted from the organic electroluminescence panel 70 by the color sensor 180 when the organic EL device 1 is manufactured (that is, from the dummy pixels 75). Chromaticity information obtained by measuring the emitted light), or chromaticity information obtained by performing colorimetry according to the above procedure thereafter.

Next, based on the obtained value of the color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* , execution of the color correction operation in the image processing unit 310 is selected (step S3). That is, when the color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* is a predetermined value (for example, 3) or more, color difference information (ΔEa ^* b ^* ) for updating the color conversion table 314 from the color difference calculation unit 330 to the image processing unit 210. Is output, and the image processing unit 310 updates the color conversion table 314 (step S4).

The chrominance calculation unit 330 has a function of recording the chromaticity information input from the chromaticity detection unit 320 in the memory 340. When the output of the chromaticity information is selected, the chrominance calculation unit 330 stores the chromaticity information in the memory 340. The held chromaticity information is updated to chromaticity information (L ^* ₂ , a ^* ₂ , b ^* ₂ ) obtained by colorimetry. If the color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* is less than the predetermined value, it is determined that the color shift of the illumination light is within the allowable range, and the process is terminated without updating the color conversion table 314 (END).

The predetermined value related to the color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* is preferably about 3. With such a range, a value that makes the color deviation of the illumination light with respect to the reference value recognizable to humans can be used as a reference value for color adjustment, and color adjustment can be performed efficiently. become.
If the color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* is 2.5 or less, the two colors related to the comparison can be recognized as almost the same color when observed at a distance (see the following reference). Therefore, it is preferable that the predetermined value as the reference value for color adjustment is larger than 2.5. Further, since the color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* color differences become clear in 3.2 above (ΔEa ^* b ^* in a range that can be handled in the same color range of 3.2 to 6.5 is at the impression level), the default value If the range is less than 3.2, color adjustment can be performed before a significant change in display color appears, which is effective.

  References: “New Color Science Handbook 2nd Edition” The Color Society of Japan The University of Tokyo Press

  The color difference information output from the color difference calculation unit 330 is input to the table generation unit 315 of the image processing unit 310 as shown in FIG. The table generation unit 315 updates the color conversion table 314 based on the input color difference information. At this time, a new color conversion table may be generated and replaced by the table generation unit 315, or a part of the color conversion table 314 may be overwritten with a correction value. Then, by applying the updated color conversion table 314 in the color conversion unit 312, the display signal Ds that can correct the color change of the emitted light of the organic electroluminescence panel 70 is supplied to the organic electroluminescence panel 70. .

  As described above, according to the organic EL device 1 of the present embodiment, the color change with time of the emitted light of the organic electroluminescence panel 70 can be corrected, the color of the input image can be faithfully reproduced, and the reproducibility thereof. Can be stably maintained over a long period of time.

[Electronics]
Hereinafter, embodiments in which the present invention is applied to a mobile phone will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 10, the mobile phone according to the present invention includes a display unit 1012 including the organic EL device of the previous embodiment, and a lower end of a main body unit 1001 including an operation unit 1013 in which a plurality of operation keys are arranged. The lid portion 1002 is connected to the body via a hinge mechanism, and the lid portion 1002 is openable and closable with respect to the main body portion 1001.

  A lid sensor for detecting the open / closed state of the lid portion 1002 is provided in the vicinity of the connecting portion between the main body portion 1001 and the lid portion 1002, and the top portion of the main body portion 1001 is connected to the main body portion 1001. An antenna 1019 that can be moved back and forth is provided. A receiving unit (speaker) 1020 is provided above the display unit 1012, and a transmitting unit (microphone) 1014 is provided at the tip of the lid 1002, so that a call can be made with the lid 1002 opened. ing.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an electrical configuration of the mobile phone 1000. As shown in the figure, a receiving circuit 1018 and a transmitting circuit 1016 are connected in parallel to a transmission / reception duplexer (duplexer) 1017. During a call, a signal received by the antenna 1019 is transmitted to the receiving circuit 1018 side by the duplexer 1017. Then, the reception signal demodulated by the reception circuit 1018 is supplied to the reception unit 1020 through the control circuit 1010 and emitted. The voice input to the transmitter 1014 is transmitted from the control circuit 1010 to the transmitter circuit 1016 as a transmission signal and modulated. The modulated transmission signal is transmitted from antenna 1019 via transmission / reception duplexer 1017. A memory 1011, a display unit 1012, an operation unit 1013, a transmission unit 1014, a lid sensor 1015, a transmission circuit 1016, a reception circuit 1018, and a reception unit 1020 are connected to the control unit 1010.

  Since the mobile phone of this embodiment having the above-described configuration includes the organic EL device of the previous embodiment, even if the organic electroluminescence panel deteriorates with time, it is possible to faithfully reproduce the input image. Therefore, a high-quality display can be obtained over a long period of time. In addition, since the color adjustment function provided in the organic EL device according to the embodiment can be operated manually or automatically, for example, the color adjustment function is provided from the control unit 1010 in conjunction with the timer function normally provided in the mobile phone. An adjustment command can be transmitted to the display unit 1012, and the color adjustment command can be transmitted from the control unit 1010 by a key input from the operation unit 1013. Alternatively, the color adjustment command can be linked to a lid opening / closing signal input from the lid sensor 1015 or an incoming signal input from the receiving circuit 1018.

  The organic EL device according to the present invention is not limited to the above mobile phone, but is an electronic book, personal computer, digital still camera, viewfinder type or monitor direct-view type video tape recorder, car navigation device, pager, electronic notebook, calculator. It can be suitably used as a display unit of various electronic devices such as a word processor, a workstation, a video phone, a POS terminal, and a device equipped with a touch panel.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. Various shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described examples are examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the embodiment, the color sensors 180R, 180G, and 180B are arranged along the upper side and the lower side of the display area 4, but the arrangement of the color sensors 180R, 180G, and 180B is not limited to the illustrated form. For example, it may be arranged only on the upper side or the lower side of the display area 4, or may be arranged along the four edges of the display area 4.

  In the above embodiment, the R dummy pixels 75R, G dummy pixels 75G, and B dummy pixels 75B are formed one by one so as to correspond to the R pixel column, the G pixel column, and the B pixel column, respectively. You don't have to. For example, a plurality of color regions are provided in the dummy region, and for each color region, a plurality of light emitting elements (dummy pixels) each having a corresponding light emission color, and emission light output from the plurality of light emitting elements. A configuration may be provided in which colorimetric means for measuring chromaticity is provided. FIG. 12 shows an example in which two R, G, and B dummy pixels 75R, 75G, and 75B are formed as a set, and one color sensor 180 is provided for each set of dummy pixels. . In this case, the planar areas (areas of two columns) of dummy pixels formed as a set constitute color areas. When a color sensor is provided for each color region in this way, the amount of light incident on the color sensor increases, so that the detection sensitivity increases and the data can be easily compared. In addition, since the average amount of light from the plurality of dummy pixels is obtained, stable detection sensitivity can be obtained. For example, when a plurality of panels are manufactured, variation between the panels can be further suppressed.

  In the above embodiment, the color sensor 180 is disposed beside the dummy pixel 75, but the arrangement of the color sensor 180 is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the color sensor 180 can be arranged in the plane area of the light emitting element 200 of the dummy pixel 75. Since the dummy pixels themselves do not contribute to the display, this configuration does not affect the display. Rather, since the light output from the light emitting element 200 is directly incident on the color sensor 180, stable detection sensitivity can be obtained.

  In the above embodiment, the color sensor 180 is provided in the dummy region 5 and the emitted light of the dummy pixel 75 is measured, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the color sensor 180 is provided beside each display pixel 71 in the display area 4 (for example, a position below the bump area and between adjacent display pixels). The color measurement of emitted light may be performed for each pixel. In this case, since the data over the entire panel can be collected, more averaged correction data can be created.

The equivalent circuit schematic of the organic electroluminescent panel with which an organic electroluminescent apparatus is equipped. The plane schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of an organic electroluminescent panel. The plane schematic diagram which shows the structure of 1 pixel of an organic electroluminescent panel. The schematic diagram which shows the AA cross section of FIG. The plane schematic diagram which shows the structure of the pixel part of an organic electroluminescent panel. The schematic diagram which shows the BB cross section of FIG. The block diagram which shows the electric constitution of an organic electroluminescent apparatus. The block diagram which shows the electrical constitution of the image processing part with which an organic electroluminescent apparatus is equipped. The flowchart which shows an example of the color adjustment method of an organic electroluminescent apparatus. The perspective view which shows the mobile telephone which is an example of an electronic device. The figure which shows the electrical constitution of a mobile telephone. The plane schematic diagram which shows the other structural example of the pixel part of an organic electroluminescent panel. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of an organic electroluminescent panel, Comprising: (a) is a plane schematic diagram which shows the planar structure of the effective display area | region, (b) is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows the FF cross section of (a). .

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Organic EL device, 70 ... Organic electroluminescence panel, 180 ... Color sensor (colorimetry means), 200 ... Light emitting element, 310 ... Image processing part (image processing means), 314 ... Color conversion table, 315 ... Table generation part (Color correction means), 340 ... memory (storage means), 330 ... color difference calculation unit (color difference derivation means), DATA ... image signal, Ds ... display signal

Claims (2)

Provided on a light-transmitting substrate is a display region in which a pixel row composed of a plurality of pixels is periodically arranged along the long side direction, and a dummy region formed adjacent to the outside of the display region. Detecting a light from a plurality of dummy pixels provided in the dummy area corresponding to the plurality of pixel columns and corresponding to the outside of the plurality of dummy pixels, respectively. An organic electroluminescence panel provided with a colorimetric means for performing colorimetry,
Image processing means for converting an input image signal into a display signal and supplying the converted signal to the organic electroluminescence panel;
Storage means for holding a reference value of chromaticity information of emitted light of the organic electroluminescence panel and capable of holding chromaticity information obtained by the colorimetry means;
Color difference deriving means for deriving color difference information from a reference value of the chromaticity information held in the storage means and the chromaticity information output from the colorimetric means;
Color correction means for correcting the display signal supplied from the image processing means to the organic electroluminescence panel;
A color conversion table provided in the image processing means, converting the image signal into the display signal and capable of being corrected by the color correction means;
The color correction unit and the storage unit are configured to be operable in conjunction with each other, and the chromaticity information when correction processing by the color correction unit is executed is stored in the storage unit as a reference value of the chromaticity information. Remembered,
The color difference information derived by the color difference deriving means is a color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* in the CIELAB color space,
The organic electroluminescence apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display signal supplied from the image processing means to the organic electroluminescence panel is changed when the value of the color difference ΔEa ^* b ^* is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.   An electronic apparatus comprising the organic electroluminescence device according to claim 1.

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