KR102562851B1 - DlSPLAY PANEL WITH SELF-LIGHTING PIXEL CAPABLE OF ADJUSTING SCREEN BRIGHTNESS AND BRIGTNESS ADJUSTING METHOD THEREOF - Google Patents

Abstract

A display panel according to the present invention is composed of a row-direction scan line and a column-direction data line, and includes a data line selection switch that selects one of pixel data and off data and transfers it to the data line; and a scan line selection switch for driving a scan line by selecting one of an on driving line and an off driving line, and a controller controlling brightness of the display panel by controlling the line selection switch and the scan line selection switch. According to the display panel and the brightness control method thereof according to the present invention, the brightness of the screen can be adjusted without additionally implementing a function for controlling the brightness of each self-emitting pixel in the pixel circuit, and the pixel is periodically turned off. Therefore, the technical effect of extending the lifespan of the self-luminous pixel element is achieved.

Description

Display panel having self-luminous pixels capable of adjusting screen brightness and method for adjusting the brightness thereof

The present invention relates to a display panel having self-luminous pixels capable of controlling screen brightness and a method for controlling the brightness thereof, and more particularly, to a display panel having a function of controlling the brightness of self-emitting pixels without using a backlight and brightness thereof It's about how to control.

A display that cannot emit light itself, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), necessarily has a backlight, and color filters in front of the backlight block light or open to express colors. As such, in the display panel using the backlight, the brightness of the screen can be adjusted by adjusting the intensity of the backlight. Screen brightness control using the intensity of the backlight causes the quality of color expression to deteriorate, but there is an advantage in that the brightness control is easy and does not require a complicated circuit.

Recently, in display panels using self-emitting pixels such as OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) or LED (Light Emitting Diode), which do not require a backlight, brightness must be adjusted while maintaining gamma gradation. Many resources are required to regulate the current. In particular, since the size of the pixel circuit is increased when a pixel circuit for a brightness control function is added, there is a problem that is a great limitation in a small display panel that needs to reduce the pixel size and implement high resolution.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0773017 (Title of Invention: OLED Horizontal Noise Removal and Gamma Correction Method) discloses a method for uniformly and automatically adjusting the color temperature and brightness level required by a user after removing line noise of an OLED device, However, since various parameters must be calculated and operated to adjust the gamma value, additional hardware and software configurations are necessarily required.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0773017 (registration date: October 29, 2007)

The present invention has been devised in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is a display that can adjust the brightness of a display panel without adding or changing a pixel circuit by periodically inserting off data in a display panel using self-emitting pixels. It is to provide a panel and its brightness control method. The object of the present invention is not limited to the object mentioned above, and other objects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

A display panel according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a display panel composed of a row-direction scan line and a column-direction data line, by selecting one of pixel data and off data to obtain the data a data line selection switch that transfers data to the line; a scan line selection switch for selecting and driving the scan line as one of an on driving line and an off driving line; and a controller controlling the brightness of the display panel by controlling the data line selection switch and the scan line selection switch.

The scan line selection switch may sequentially select the off driving line after the on driving line or the on driving line after the off driving line within one line time of video timing.

In addition, the data line selection switch selects and transfers the off data to the data line while the scan line is driven by the off driving line, and selects the pixel data while the scan line is driven by the on driving line. and can be transmitted to the data line.

The controller may control the timing of switching from the off driving line to the on driving line or the timing of switching from the on driving line to the off driving line to adjust the brightness of the display panel.

Also, the scan line selection switch may sequentially select the on driving line and the off driving line with respect to a plurality of scan lines.

The data line selection switch may sequentially select the pixel data and the off data within one line time of video timing and transfer the selected pixel data and the off data to the data line.

Also, the selection of the on driving line and the selection of the off driving line may not overlap in time.

Meanwhile, a brightness control method according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a method for adjusting the brightness of a display panel composed of a scan line in a row direction and a data line in a column direction, through a data line selection switch. a data line selection step of selecting one of pixel data and off data and transferring the selected one to the data line; a scan line selection step of selecting and driving the scan line as one of an on drive line and an off drive line through a scan line select switch; and a brightness control step of controlling the brightness of the display panel by controlling the data line selection switch and the scan line selection switch.

In the scan line selection step, the off driving line may be sequentially selected after the on driving line within one line time of video timing, or the on driving line may be sequentially selected after the off driving line.

In the data line selection step, the pixel data and the off data may be sequentially selected and transmitted to the data line within one line time of video timing.

In the data line selection step, while the off data is selected and transmitted to the data line, the scan line selection step selects the off driving line, and in the data line selection step, the pixel data is selected and the data line is selected. During transfer to the line, in the scan line selection step, the turn-on driving line may be selected.

In the brightness control step, the brightness of the display panel may be adjusted by controlling a timing at which the off driving line is switched to the on driving line or a timing at which the on driving line is switched to the off driving line.

In the scan line selection step, the on driving line and the off driving line may be sequentially selected for a plurality of scan lines.

Also, the selection of the on driving line and the selection of the off driving line may not overlap in time.

According to the display panel and its brightness control method according to the present invention, the brightness of the display panel can be easily adjusted without adding or changing a separate circuit. That is, according to the display panel and the brightness control method thereof according to the present invention, the brightness of the screen can be adjusted without additionally implementing a function for adjusting the brightness of each self-emitting pixel in the pixel circuit. In addition, since the pixels are periodically turned off, a technical effect of extending the lifespan of the self-emitting pixel device is achieved.

1 shows the configuration of a display panel according to the present invention.
2 shows the brightness control timing of the display panel according to the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a brightness control method according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar elements are given the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. The suffix "part" for components used in the following description is given or used interchangeably in consideration of ease of writing the specification, and does not itself have a meaning or role distinct from each other.

In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may obscure the gist of the embodiment disclosed in this specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the technical idea disclosed in this specification is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention , it should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

In this application, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features It should be understood that the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof is not precluded.

Briefly explaining the basic idea of the present invention, in the display panel according to the present invention, a plurality of pixels are arranged as much as the resolution to be expressed, and the pixels are driven using self-light emitting elements. The resolution of a display panel is usually divided into bundles of horizontal (row or scan) lines and vertical (column or data) lines, and pixel circuits can be driven in bundled line units, but various other driving methods can be applied. can

At this time, the display panel can select the ON drive line and the OFF drive line for the scan line, and the selection of the ON drive line and the OFF drive line do not overlap in time, and operate by dividing the time of one scan line. can In addition, the display panel may separately drive pixel data and off data with respect to the data line, and the pixel data and off data may be selected and operated by a switch.

In addition, in the brightness control method of the display panel, the step of transmitting pixel data to the pixel to adjust the brightness and the step of transmitting off data to the pixel may be included. In addition, the display panel includes a step of transmitting the data to the pixel to adjust the brightness and a step of transmitting the off data to the pixel, and each step can be performed by dividing one line driving time. Also, in the step of transferring the data to the pixel, the pixel data may be transferred to the pixel by selecting the pixel data as a data line and selecting a scan line for on-driving (selecting an on-driving line). In addition, in the step of transmitting the off data to the pixel, the off data is selected as a data line and a scan line for off driving is selected (the off driving line is selected) to transfer the off data to the pixel. In this case, when the off drive line precedes and the on drive line follows, as the interval between the two scan lines increases, the off line remains as a off part until it is filled by the on scan, so the brightness can be lowered further.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 shows the configuration of a display panel according to the present invention. A display panel according to the present invention includes a scan line selection switch 110 , a data line selection switch 120 and a pixel circuit 130 .

The scan line selection switch 110 selects a scan line as one of an on driving line and an off driving line. The data line selection switch 120 selects one of pixel data and off data and transfers it to the data line.

As shown in FIG. 1, data lines are connected vertically and scan lines are connected horizontally to drive the pixel circuit 130, and a data line switch 120 for selecting pixel data and off data is provided on the data line side. and a scan line selection switch 110 for selecting an on driving line and an off driving line is connected to the scan line side.

The pixel circuit 130 includes a plurality of pixels including scan lines in a row direction and data lines in a column direction. The plurality of pixels are preferably self-emitting pixels such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) or light emitting diodes (LEDs), but are not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, a controller (not shown) controls the scan line selection switch 110 and the data line selection switch 120 to adjust the brightness of the display panel.

At this time, when transmitting the pixel data to the pixel circuit 130 to drive the pixel data in the pixel circuit 130, the data line selection switch 120 selects the pixel data to be connected to the pixel circuit 130, and At the same time, the scan line selection switch 110 selects and drives the on driving line so that the pixel circuit 130 is normally driven.

Also, when the data line selection switch 120 transmits off data to the pixel circuit 110, the data line selection switch 120 selects the off data to be connected to the pixel circuit 130, and at the same time selects a scan line. The switch 110 turns off (off driving) the pixel circuit 130 by selecting and driving an off driving line.

2 shows the brightness control timing of the display panel according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, two scan operations are performed at one line timing. That is, the scan operation includes an off driving line and an on driving line, which are sequentially selected and driven.

In this case, since the preceding off driving line temporally precedes the on driving line, it serves to erase pixel data of the previous frame, and the following on driving line expresses the pixel data of the current frame on the pixel circuit 130 .

Describing the relationship between the scan line and the data line, while the scan line selection switch 110 selects the off driving line and operates, the data line selection switch 120 selects off data, and the scan line selection switch 110 selects off data. During operation by selecting the on driving line, the data line selection switch 120 selects pixel data.

Returning to FIG. 2 , the scan line selection switch 110 performs a selection operation so that the off line and the on line are spaced at regular intervals. When the pixel data is filled with the off data, the switch 110 continues to be turned off until the next on drive scan is performed. Since it plays a role, it is possible to adjust the brightness of the display panel 100 by adjusting the interval. That is, as the distance between the off driving line and the on driving line increases, the screen appears darker.

In the above description, the scan line selection switch 110 selects the off line precedently and the on line later, but the order of precedence and subsequent selection may vary depending on the embodiment. That is, the scan line selection switch 110 may sequentially select the turn-on drive line followed by the turn-off drive line or the turn-on drive line followed by the turn-on drive line within one line time of the video timing.

The data line select switch 120 selects off data and transfers it to the data line of the pixel circuit 130 while the off drive line is selected, and selects pixel data while the on drive line is selected and transmits the data to the pixel circuit 130. transmitted through the data line.

A controller (not shown) may control timing of switching from an off drive line to an on drive line or a timing of switching from an on drive line to an off drive line. That is, the brightness of the display panel 100 can be controlled by driving the scan line selection switch 110 so that a certain interval is formed between the off line and the on line, and adjusting the interval.

In the above description, the pixel data is not limited to digital signals and may include signals such as current or voltage. In addition, the scan line selection switch 110 may simultaneously perform the above operation for a plurality of scan lines as well as sequentially selecting an off drive line and an on drive line for one scan line. In addition, it is preferable that the selection of the ON driving line by the scan line selection switch 100 and the selection of the OFF driving line do not temporally overlap, but are not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the data line selection switch 120 may also sequentially select pixel data and turn-off data within one line time of the video timing and transfer them to the data line of the pixel circuit 130 .

3 is a flowchart illustrating a brightness control method according to the present invention. The structure of the display panel to which the brightness control method according to the present invention is applied is as described above.

As shown in FIG. 3, it consists of a data line selection step (S200), a scan line selection step (S210), and a brightness control step (S220). Figure numbers in flow charts do not necessarily mean that the steps must be performed in sequence. That is, by the brightness control step (S220), a data line selection step (S200) and a scan line selection step (S210) are performed, and the data line selection step (S200) may precede or follow the scan line selection step (S210). Alternatively, the data line selection step (S200) and the scan line selection step (S210) may be performed simultaneously. This corresponds to obvious matters to those skilled in the art in relation to the driving of the display panel.

In the data line selection step (S200), one of pixel data and off data is selected and transmitted to the data line through a data line selection switch. In this case, in the data line selection step, the pixel data and the off data may be sequentially selected and transferred to the data line within one line time of video timing.

In the scan line selection step ( S210 ), the scan line is selected and driven as one of an on drive line and an off drive line through a scan line select switch.

In the scan line selection step ( S210 ), the off driving line may be sequentially selected after the on driving line within one line time of the video timing, or the on driving line may be sequentially selected after the off driving line.

In addition, while the off data is selected and transmitted to the data line in the data line selection step (S200), the off driving line is selected in the scan line selection step (S210), and the pixel data is selected in the data line selection step (S200). While being selected and transmitted to the data line, in the scan line selection step (S210), the turn-on driving line is selected.

At this time, in the scan line selection step ( S210 ), the on driving line and the off driving line may be sequentially selected for a plurality of scan lines. Also, the selection of the turn-on drive line and the selection of the turn-off drive line may not overlap in time.

In step S220 of adjusting the brightness, the brightness of the display panel is adjusted by controlling the data line selection switch and the scan line selection switch. In the brightness control step ( S220 ), the brightness of the display panel may be adjusted by controlling timing at which the off driving line is switched to the on driving line or timing at which the on driving line is switched to the off driving line.

According to the display panel and its brightness control method according to the present invention, the brightness of the display panel can be easily adjusted without adding or changing a separate circuit. That is, according to the display panel and the brightness control method thereof according to the present invention, the brightness of the screen can be adjusted without additionally implementing a function for adjusting the brightness of each self-emitting pixel in the pixel circuit. In addition, since the pixels are periodically turned off, a technical effect of extending the lifespan of the self-emitting pixel device is achieved.

The brightness control method according to the present invention may be implemented in the form of program commands that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer readable medium. A computer-readable recording medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. Program instructions recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and configured for the present invention or those known and usable to those skilled in computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magnetic media such as floptical disks. - includes hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as magneto-optical media, and ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, as well as machine language codes such as those produced by a compiler. The hardware devices described above may be configured to act as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

In addition, although the above has been described with a focus on the embodiments, these are only examples and do not limit the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs can exemplify the above to the extent that does not deviate from the essential characteristics of the present embodiment. It will be seen that various variations and applications that have not yet been made are possible. For example, each component specifically shown in the embodiment can be modified and implemented. And differences related to these variations and applications should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

100: display panel
110: scan line selection switch
120: data line selection switch
130: pixel circuit

Claims (14)

A display panel including a pixel circuit composed of a scan line in a row direction and a data line in a column direction,
a data line selection switch selecting one of pixel data and off data and transmitting the selected one to the data line;
a scan line selection switch that selects and drives the scan line as one of an on driving line and an off driving line based on the off scan signal and the on scan signal; and
A controller controlling the brightness of the display panel by controlling the data line selection switch and the scan line selection switch;
The data line select switch selects and transfers the off data to the data line while the scan line is driven by the off driving line, thereby turning off the pixel circuit, and the scan line is driven by the on driving line. Normal driving of the pixel circuit by selecting and transferring pixel data to the data line;
wherein the controller controls the scan line selection switch to adjust a distance between the off driving line and the on driving line to adjust the brightness of the display panel. According to claim 1,
The display panel of claim 1 , wherein the scan line selection switch sequentially selects the turn-on drive line and then the turn-off drive line or the turn-on drive line after the turn-on drive line within one line time of video timing. delete According to claim 2,
wherein the controller adjusts the brightness of the display panel by controlling a timing at which the off driving line is switched to the on driving line or a timing at which the on driving line is switched to the off driving line. According to claim 2,
Wherein the controller, when the off driving line precedes the on driving line, increases a distance between the off driving line and the on driving line to lower the brightness of the display panel. According to claim 1,
The data line selection switch sequentially selects the pixel data and the off data within one line time of video timing and transfers them to the data line. According to claim 1,
The selection of the turn-on drive line and the selection of the turn-off drive line do not temporally overlap. A method for adjusting the brightness of a display panel including a pixel circuit composed of a row-direction scan line and a column-direction data line,
a data line selection step of selecting one of pixel data and off data through a data line selection switch and transmitting the selected one to the data line;
a scan line selection step of selecting and driving the scan line as one of an on driving line and an off driving line through a scan line selection switch based on the off scan signal and the on scan signal; and
A brightness control step of controlling the brightness of the display panel by controlling the data line selection switch and the scan line selection switch;
While the off data is selected and transmitted to the data line in the data line selection step, the scan line selection step selects the off driving line to turn off the pixel circuit, and in the data line selection step the pixel data is While being selected and transferred to the data line, in the step of selecting the scan line, the turn-on driving line is selected to normally drive the pixel circuit;
The brightness control step of the brightness control method of controlling the brightness of the display panel by controlling the scan line selection switch to adjust the interval between the off driving line and the on driving line. According to claim 8,
In the scan line selecting step, the off driving line is sequentially selected after the on driving line within one line time of video timing, or the on driving line is sequentially selected after the off driving line. According to claim 8,
In the brightness control step, when the off driving line precedes the on driving line, the brightness of the display panel is lowered by increasing an interval between the off driving line and the on driving line. delete According to claim 8,
The brightness control step controls the timing of switching from the off driving line to the on driving line or the timing of switching from the on driving line to the off driving line to control the brightness of the display panel. According to claim 8,
The step of selecting the scan line comprises sequentially selecting the on drive line and the off drive line with respect to a plurality of scan lines. According to claim 8,
The brightness control method of claim 1 , wherein the selection of the on driving line and the selection of the off driving line do not overlap in time.

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