KR102497229B1 - Method and system for predicting a lifetime of Organic Light Emitting Diodes - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention can predict the lifetime of an OLED device by measuring it under various test conditions. A condition setting unit that provides a settable interface, a signal generator that generates a pulse width modulated signal according to the frequency and duty set in the test conditions, and a power source based on the pulse width modulated signal generated by the signal generator A drive power supply unit for applying power to the OLED elements of the chamber, a measurement unit for measuring at least one of a current value, a voltage value, and a luminance value of the OLED element according to the application of the power, and a value measured by the measurement unit is used. predicts the lifetime of the OLED device, generates log data using the value measured by the measurement unit according to the log data generation time point, and measures for predicting the lifespan based on the predicted lifespan and the end point of the lifespan prediction It is possible to provide an OLED device life prediction system including a central control unit to stop the.

Description

OLED device lifetime prediction system and method {Method and system for predicting a lifetime of Organic Light Emitting Diodes}

The present invention relates to an OLED device lifetime prediction system and method.

OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) displays are receiving a lot of attention for their superiority as a display as well as their high potential, such as faster response speed, excellent visibility, and possibility of thinning (papering) compared to LCDs.

OLED refers to a device that converts electrical energy into light energy by applying an electric field to organic materials, and its basic principle is that electrons and holes injected through cathodes and anodes Recombined and the exciton generated at this time returns to the ground state and emits light of a specific wavelength.

These OLEDs are small modules or polymer organic materials that emit light as current flows, and compared to LCDs that require a separate light emitting device (Back Light), they can be made lighter and thinner, and also have no restrictions on viewing angles and are flexible. Since it can be applied to the substrate, it is suitable as a future display.

In addition, OLED is a self-luminous device and can be lightweight and thin, and is attracting attention as a next-generation display because of its superior viewing angle, contrast, and response time compared to LCD.

The lifespan of a display such as OLED gradually decreases according to the time of use or the voltage applied to the display gradually increases according to the time of use.

The initial luminance at the time when the display starts to drive decreases over time, and when it reaches a predetermined time, it decreases to half of the luminance at the start of the drive.

The lifetime of such a display device or light emitting element is the most important criterion for commercialization of the device.

A conventional OLED lifetime prediction device is a device that predicts the expected lifetime under normal conditions by measuring the amount of change and the amount of electrical change in light emitted from the OLED for a long time while applying various conditions to the measuring device.

However, conventional OLED life prediction devices take too long an OLED life prediction time, so the possibility of actual commercialization is low, and life prediction accuracy is remarkably low, so it is difficult to obtain reliable life prediction data.

In particular, as OLED devices are recently applied in various fields, companies that produce products using OLED devices frequently request OLED lifetime prediction under various conditions, but there is no technology to cope with this. am.

Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-163591 (registered on June 28, 2016.)

The present invention provides an OLED device lifetime prediction system and method that can measure and predict the lifetime of an OLED device by setting various conditions.

In addition, the present invention provides an OLED device life prediction system and method capable of detailed control for various conditions and OLED life prediction.

In addition, the present invention provides an OLED device life prediction system and method capable of controlling a plurality of channels through a single interface.

As a technical means for achieving the above technical problem, the OLED device life prediction system according to an embodiment of the present invention is a duty driving method capable of setting frequency and duty, sample components of OLED devices, log data generation time and life prediction end time A condition setting unit that provides an interface capable of setting test conditions for the test conditions, a signal generator that generates a pulse width modulated signal according to the frequency and duty set in the test conditions, and a pulse width modulated signal generated by the signal generator. A driving power supply unit for applying power to the OLED element of the chamber based on the power supply, a measurement unit for measuring at least one of a current value, a voltage value, and a luminance value of the OLED element according to the application of the power, and measurement by the measurement unit. The lifetime of the OLED device is predicted using the predicted value, and log data is generated using the value measured by the measuring unit according to the log data generation time point, and the lifetime is predicted based on the predicted life time and the end time of the life prediction. It may include a central control unit to stop measurement for prediction.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the condition setting unit can provide an interface capable of setting in units of 1 Hz, setting in units of 1 to 1,500 Hz, setting in units of 1%, and setting duty in units of 1 to 99%. there is.,

According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least two or more OLED elements are mounted in the chamber, the condition setting unit provides an interface capable of setting a duty driving frequency and duty for each OLED element, and the central control unit provides an interface for setting the OLED element. A user interface capable of setting the execution and suspension of life prediction operations for each unit is provided on the display unit, and control can be performed for each OLED element according to a user's manipulation through the user interface.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the condition setting unit provides an interface capable of setting the frequency and duty of the duty driving method for each group composed of at least two or more OLED elements, and the central control unit executes and stops the life prediction operation for each group. A user interface that can be set is provided to the display unit, and OLED devices can be controlled for each group according to a user's manipulation through the user interface.

As a technical means for achieving the above technical problem, the OLED device life prediction method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a duty driving method capable of setting a frequency and duty through a condition setting unit in a central control unit, a sample component of an OLED device, and log data Providing an interface capable of setting test conditions at the time of generation and end of life prediction, supplying power to OLED elements in the chamber by generating a pulse width modulation signal according to the frequency and duty set in the test conditions; measuring at least one of a current value, a voltage value, and a luminance value of the OLED device according to the application of the power, and generating log data using the measured value according to the log data generation time point; The method may include stopping measurement for predicting the lifespan according to an end time of the lifespan prediction.

According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, by providing a system and method for predicting the lifetime of an OLED device that can measure and predict the lifetime of an OLED device by setting various test conditions, it is possible to provide user convenience.

In addition, according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, by providing an OLED device life prediction system and method capable of detailed control for various conditions and OLED life prediction, that is, detailed control in frequency and duty control, predicting the life of an OLED device Accuracy and precision can be improved.

In addition, according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, by providing an OLED device life prediction system and method capable of mounting a plurality of OLED devices, grouping and managing a plurality of OLED devices, and controlling each group, the convenience of equipment operators is provided. can promote

1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a system for predicting life of an OLED device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exemplary view of an interface provided in an OLED device life prediction system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process of an OLED device life prediction system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The detailed descriptions that follow are provided to provide a comprehensive understanding of the methods, devices and/or systems described herein. However, this is only an example and the present invention is not limited thereto.

In describing the embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that the detailed description of the known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. In addition, terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary according to the intention or custom of a user or operator. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the contents throughout this specification. Terminology used in the detailed description is only for describing the embodiments of the present invention and should in no way be limiting. Unless expressly used otherwise, singular forms of expression include plural forms. In this description, expressions such as "comprising" or "comprising" are intended to indicate any characteristic, number, step, operation, element, portion or combination thereof, one or more other than those described. It should not be construed to exclude the existence or possibility of any other feature, number, step, operation, element, part or combination thereof.

Hereinafter, an OLED device lifetime prediction system and method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a diagram briefly showing the configuration of an OLED device lifetime prediction system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an example interface provided by the OLED device life prediction system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the OLED device life prediction system 100 includes a condition setting unit 110, a signal generator 120, a driving power supply unit 130, a chamber 140 and a measurement unit 150, a center A control unit 160 and a display unit 170 may be included.

The condition setting unit 110 provides an interface capable of setting various test conditions necessary for predicting the lifetime of an OLED device, and can control the signal generator 120 according to the test conditions set through the interface.

The condition setting unit 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes OLED device components, that is, OLED sample components, pretreatment, product type to which the OLED device is applied, environment in which the product is used, operating mode, log data generation criteria, and end of life span measurement. An interface capable of setting test conditions such as a time point is provided, and the test conditions set through the interface can be stored in the memory 170 through the central control unit 160 .

Among the test conditions, pre-processing or not may mean pre-processing, that is, setting whether or not to perform an aging process. That is, whether or not to pre-process may mean setting whether the OLED element mounted on the OLED mounting part 142 of the chamber 140 has undergone an aging process.

The operating mode may mean setting constant current (CC), constant voltage (CV), duty driving current (PC), duty driving current and voltage (PCV), and the like.

In particular, in the embodiment of the present invention, if the operation mode among the test conditions is a duty driving method, an interface capable of adjusting the frequency and duty may be further provided. Specifically, when the operating mode is a duty driving current and duty driving current and voltage, an interface capable of setting the frequency and duty of the duty driving current and duty driving current and voltage may be provided. In this case, the condition setting unit (110) can provide an interface that can set the frequency from 10 to 1,500 Hz (1.5 kHz) in 1 Hz steps, as well as set the duty from 1 to 99% in units of 1%.

In addition, the log data generation criterion may mean the log data generation standard time in the measurement unit 150. For example, in the case of 1 hour, it may mean 1 minute interval. In this case, the measurement unit 150 may generate log data at intervals of one minute and store the log data in the memory 170 through the central control unit 160 .

Meanwhile, in the operating mode among the test conditions, the frequency and duty may be automatically set according to the sample component of the OLED device, the product to which the OLED device is applied, and the environment in which the product is used.

Among the test conditions, the life measurement end point may be set as an elapsed time or a percentage (50% as a default), which is the amount of remaining life of the OLED.

The signal generating unit 120 may include a constant voltage/current signal generating module 122 operating when the operating mode is a constant current or constant voltage method, and a pulp signal generating module 124 operating when the operating mode is a duty driving method.

The driving power supply unit 130 may supply driving power corresponding to an operating mode for driving the OLED to the OLED element mounted on the OLED mounting unit 142 of the chamber 140 .

When the operation mode is a constant current driving method, the constant voltage/constant voltage signal generation module 122 may apply a signal to supply a constant current to the driving power supply unit 130 .

When the operation mode is the constant voltage driving method, the constant voltage/constant voltage signal generation module 122 may apply a signal for supplying a constant voltage to the driving power supply 130 .

When the operation mode is a duty driving method, the pulse signal generation module 124 may apply a pulse width modulated signal to the driving power supply 130 according to frequency and duty. Accordingly, the driving power supply 130 may supply current and voltage corresponding to the pulse width modulation signal to the OLED device.

The measurement unit 150 includes a current measuring module 152 for measuring current in the OLED device mounted on the OLED mounting portion 142 of the chamber 140 and an OLED device mounted on the OLED mounting portion 142 of the chamber 140. A voltage measuring module 154 for measuring voltage and a luminance measuring module 156 for measuring luminance of an OLED element mounted on the OLED mounting part 142 of the chamber 140 and a conversion module 158 may be included. there is.

The luminance measurement module 156 measures luminance, which is the intensity of light according to driving, when the OLED element mounted on the OLED mounting part 142 of the chamber 140 is driven by the driving power supplied from the driving power supply 130. , Since a detailed measurement method of the luminance measurement module 156 is a well-known technique, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

At this time, the conversion module 158 converts the analog current and voltage values provided by the current measurement module 152 and the voltage measurement module 154 into digital current and voltage values, and converts the analog current and voltage values provided by the luminance measurement module 156 into analog values. The luminance value may be converted into a digital luminance value and transmitted to the central controller 160 .

The central control unit 160 may store the current, voltage, and luminance received from the conversion module 158 in the memory 162 and predict the lifetime of the OLED device using at least one of the voltage, current, and luminance.

On the other hand, the central control unit 160 according to an embodiment of the present invention operates based on the log data generation criteria among the test conditions to log data, that is, log data including digital current values, voltage values, digital luminance values, and test conditions. Can be generated and displayed on the display unit 170.

In addition, the central controller 160 may control the operation of the lifespan prediction system 100 through comparison between the predicted lifespan and data about the lifespan prediction end point. Specifically, the central control unit 160 may stop the operation of the lifespan prediction system 100 when the predicted lifespan reaches the lifespan prediction end point.

When the end point of life prediction is time, the central control unit 160 operates the counter 164 from the point at which the measurement for life prediction starts, that is, the point at which the driving power supply unit 130 operates, so that the counter value of the counter 164 It is determined whether the lifespan prediction end point has been reached through comparison with the lifespan prediction end point time, and when the lifespan prediction end point has been reached, the operation of the lifespan prediction system 100 can be stopped.

Meanwhile, the chamber 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of channels, that is, a plurality of OLED mounting parts 142 equipped with different OLED elements.

Accordingly, the driving power supply unit 130 according to the embodiment of the present invention can supply power to each OLED element mounted on the plurality of OLED mounting units 142 .

In addition, the measurement unit 150 may measure and convert the measurement of each OLED element mounted on each OLED mounting unit 142, that is, voltage, current, luminance, etc., and then provide it to the central control unit 160. .

The condition setting unit 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention may provide an interface capable of setting test conditions such as frequency and duty of the duty driving method for each OLED device.

Accordingly, the central control unit 160 provides a user interface through the display unit 170 for setting the execution and stop of the life prediction operation for each OLED element, and executes the life prediction operation and You can perform control such as stop.

In this case, when the operation of predicting the life of a specific OLED element is selected according to the user's operation, the central control unit 160 controls the signal generator 120 to supply power to the corresponding OLED element according to the test conditions, thereby driving power. Power is supplied to the OLED mounting unit 142 equipped with the corresponding OLED element through the supply unit 130, or when the life prediction operation stop is selected, the driving power supply unit 130 is controlled to supply the OLED mounting unit equipped with the corresponding OLED element ( 142) can be cut off.

Meanwhile, in an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the central control unit 160 sets at least two or more OLED elements as one group, and a user interface capable of setting the execution and stop of a life prediction operation for each group. may be provided through the display unit 170.

In this case, the condition setting unit 110 may provide an interface capable of setting test conditions such as frequency and duty of the duty driving method for each OLED element in each group.

When selecting the execution of the life prediction operation of a specific group according to the user's operation, the central control unit 160 controls the signal generator 120 to supply power to each OLED element in the specific group according to the test condition, thereby driving the driving power supply unit. Through (130), power is supplied to the OLED mounting part 142 equipped with OLED elements of a specific group, or when the life prediction operation stop is selected, the driving power supply unit 130 is controlled to supply power to the OLED elements of a specific group. can be blocked.

A process of operating the system for predicting lifetime of an OLED device having the configuration described above will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .

3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process of the OLED device lifetime prediction system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the central control unit 160 controls the duty driving method capable of setting the frequency and duty through the control of the condition setting unit 110, the sample component of the OLED device, the log data generation time and the life prediction end time. An interface capable of setting test conditions is provided to the display unit 170 (S300).

At this time, the central control unit 160 provides the display unit 170 with an interface capable of setting in units of 1 Hz, setting a frequency of 1 to 1,500 Hz and setting in units of 1%, and setting a duty of 1 to 99%. can

In addition, the central control unit 160 may provide the display unit 170 with an interface capable of setting different frequencies and duty settings for each OLED element mounted on the plurality of mounting units 142 .

Meanwhile, the central control unit 160 may group and manage a plurality of OLED elements mounted on the plurality of mounting units 142, that is, provide the display unit 170 with an interface capable of setting different frequencies and duty settings for each group. can

In addition, the central control unit 160 provides an interface for inputting OLED sample components, usage environment, applicable product information, etc. as test conditions, and can automatically set frequency and duty based on information input through the interface. .

The central control unit 160 may store test conditions input through the interface in the memory 162 to collect various data for predicting OLED lifetime.

Through this, the central control unit 160 searches the memory 162 for test conditions corresponding to the input information as OLED sample components, use environment, applied product information, etc. are input as test conditions, and the frequency within the searched test conditions. And, by providing information on the duty setting through the display unit 170, a test condition guideline may be provided to the test requester.

Thereafter, when there is a test start request (S302), the central control unit 160 provides test conditions to the signal generator 120, and the signal generator 120 generates a pulse width modulated signal corresponding to the test conditions. (S304) It is applied to the driving power supply unit 130 (S304).

Accordingly, the driving power supply unit 130 supplies power to the OLED element mounted on the OLED mounting unit 142 of the chamber 140 based on the pulse width modulation signal (S306).

Accordingly, the measurement unit 150 measures the current value, the voltage value, and the luminance value of the OLED device through each of the measurement modules 152, 154, and 156 (S308), and converts the measured values to the conversion module 158. After converting it into a digital value, it is provided to the central control unit 160 and stored in the memory 162.

Thereafter, the central control unit 160 generates log data using the data stored in the memory 162 according to the log data generation time (S310).

On the other hand, the central control unit 160 predicts the lifetime of the OLED device using the provided data (S312), and determines whether the life prediction end point has been reached through comparison between the predicted lifetime and the end point of life prediction (S314).

As a result of the determination in S314, when the end of life prediction is reached, the central control unit 160 stops the measurement for life prediction (S316), that is, stops signal generation by the signal generator 120 or the driving power supply unit 130 Stop the power supply through the control for .

According to the embodiment of the present invention as described above, although it has been described as an example that the measurement is stopped through life prediction, when the life prediction end point is set to time, the measurement time is counted and the counted measurement time is the life prediction end point It is also possible to stop the measurement by judging whether this time has been reached.

Meanwhile, combinations of each block of the accompanying block diagram and each step of the flowchart may be performed by computer program instructions. Since these computer program instructions may be loaded into a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment are described in each block of the block diagram. It creates means to perform functions.

These computer program instructions may be stored on a computer usable or computer readable medium (or memory) or the like that may be directed to a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to implement functions in a particular manner, so that the computer usable Alternatively, the instructions stored in a computer readable recording medium (or memory) may produce an article of manufacture containing instruction means for performing a function described in each block of the block diagram.

In addition, since the computer program instructions can be loaded on a computer or other programmable data processing equipment, a series of operational steps are performed on the computer or other programmable data processing equipment to create a computer-executed process to generate a computer or other programmable data processing equipment. Instructions performing possible data processing equipment may also provide steps for executing the functions described in each block of the block diagram.

Also, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code including at least one or more executable instructions for executing specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that in some alternative embodiments, it is possible for the functions mentioned in the blocks to occur out of order. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order depending on their function.

100: OLED device life prediction system
110: condition setting unit
120: signal generator
130: drive power supply unit
140: chamber
150: measuring unit
160: central control unit

Claims (6)

Duty driving method with frequency and duty setting, sample components of OLED elements, pretreatment, type of products to which OLED elements are applied, environment in which products are used, operation mode, log data generation time, life measurement end time and life prediction end time Provides an interface that can set test conditions, but in the case of preprocessing among the test conditions, it is an interface for setting whether or not to process aging. A condition setting unit providing an interface for
a signal generator for generating a pulse width modulated signal according to the test conditions;
a drive power supply unit for applying power to the OLED elements of the chamber based on the pulse width modulation signal generated by the signal generator;
A measurement unit for measuring at least one of a current value, a voltage value, and a luminance value of the OLED device according to the application of the power;
The lifetime of the OLED device is predicted using the value measured by the measurement unit, and log data is generated using the value measured by the measurement unit according to the log data generation time point, and the predicted lifespan and the end of the lifespan prediction Includes a central control unit for stopping the measurement for the life prediction based on the time point,
At least two or more OLED elements are mounted in the chamber,
The condition setting unit,
Provides an interface capable of setting frequency and duty of a duty driving method for each group composed of at least two or more OLED elements,
The central control unit,
An OLED device life prediction system that provides a user interface for setting the execution and stop of life prediction operations for each group to the display unit, and controls OLED devices for each group according to user manipulation through the user interface;
According to claim 1,
The condition setting unit,
An OLED device life prediction system that can be set in units of 1 Hz, provides an interface that allows setting of frequencies from 1 to 1,500 Hz, settings in units of 1%, and duty settings from 1 to 99%.
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