JP6551328B2 - Self-luminous display - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-luminous display device including a self-luminous element.

  As a conventional display device, for example, one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. In the display device of Patent Document 1, each pixel of the display panel portion having a plurality of light emitting pixels including a pixel forming a screen effective region and a dummy pixel forming a portion outside the screen effective region is used as a display data signal. And a display driving unit that performs light emission driving based on the display driving unit.

  The display panel unit is provided with a plurality of photosensors arranged so as to be equidistant from at least two or more light emitting pixels with respect to the plurality of light emitting pixels. Then, when the display driving unit does not perform the normal display operation, the light emission luminances of the plurality of light emission pixels are detected by the plurality of light sensors, and correction values of the other light emission pixels with respect to the reference light emission pixel are calculated. The correction value is stored in the correction value storage unit.

  Furthermore, when the display drive unit performs the normal display operation, the emission luminances of the plurality of emission pixels are corrected by the stored correction value, and based on the change value of the emission luminance of the dummy pixel at a predetermined timing. Correction values are corrected and updated.

  In patent document 1, the light emission variation of each light emission pixel can be corrected by the correction value of the light emission pixel obtained from a plurality of photosensors, and the luminance unevenness can be eliminated. Further, the correction value is appropriately updated even during the normal display operation.

Patent No. 5293138 gazette

  However, in Patent Document 1 described above, dummy pixels and a plurality of light sensors are provided in order to correct the light emission luminance of a plurality of light emission pixels, and the configuration of the display panel portion becomes complicated (high cost) ing. Furthermore, since a plurality of light sensors are provided in the area of the display panel unit, for example, in a high definition display panel unit, the area of effective pixels becomes small, and the arrangement of pixels becomes difficult.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a self-luminous display device that can suppress a decrease in visibility due to deterioration of a pixel in a display unit without providing an optical sensor and a dummy pixel.

  The present invention adopts the following technical means to achieve the above object.

In the present invention, a self-luminous image display unit (110) that displays an image on a display surface (111) in which a plurality of pixels (111R) are arranged;
In a self-luminous display device comprising an image control unit (120) for controlling an image display state in the image display unit,
Each of the plurality of pixels is divided into a plurality of regions (R1, R2, R3) on the display surface,
Each of the plurality of regions is provided with a light emitting element (Le) whose light emission is controlled by the image control unit,
The image control unit is configured to control the lighting / extinguishing state of each light emitting element in a plurality of areas according to the lighting brightness and cumulative lighting time when the light is turned on ,
The image control unit indicates in advance the order of the light emitting elements to be turned on one by one in the first round and the combination and order of the light emitting elements to be turned on in the second and subsequent rounds according to the lighting brightness and the cumulative lighting time. In addition, in the combination, a table set so that the total output of the combination of the light emitting elements is equivalent to the output of one light emitting element in the first round is stored, and the lighting / extinguishing state control is performed based on the table. it is characterized in that to perform.

According to the present invention, each pixel (111G) is lit so as to be shared by the respective light emitting elements (Le) in the plurality of regions (R1, R2, R3) according to the lighting luminance and the cumulative lighting time. Since the state is formed, it is possible to suppress the load of each light emitting element and to suppress the degree of luminance decrease due to deterioration. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in visibility due to pixel deterioration in the image display unit. In the present invention, it is not necessary to set an optical sensor, a dummy pixel, or the like as in the prior art.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the bracket | parenthesis of each said means shows a corresponding relationship with the specific means of embodiment description mentioned later.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the whole structure of a self-light-emitting display device. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of each pixel in a display surface. It is explanatory drawing which shows a switching determination table. It is explanatory drawing which shows the magnitude relationship of the determination time with respect to a gradation value (luminance). It is an explanatory view showing a luminescence field selection table. It is a flowchart for controlling the light emission area | region of each pixel. It is a graph which shows the change of the brightness | luminance maintenance factor with progress of time.

  Hereinafter, a plurality of modes for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same referential mark may be attached | subjected to the part corresponding to the matter demonstrated by the form preceded in each form, and the overlapping description may be abbreviate | omitted. When only a part of the configuration is described in each form, the other forms described above can be applied to other parts of the configuration. Not only combinations of parts which clearly indicate that combinations are possible in each embodiment, but also combinations of embodiments even if not explicitly specified, unless any problem occurs in the combinations. It is also possible.

First Embodiment
A self-luminous display device (hereinafter referred to as a display device) 100 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The display device 100 of the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle and displays, for example, various information related to the vehicle. The display device 100 includes an image display unit 110, an image control unit 120, and the like. First, the basic configuration of the display device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an image display unit (hereinafter referred to as a display unit) 110 forms various information related to a vehicle as an image and displays it to a user. The display unit 110 is a self-luminous image display unit such as an organic EL display composed of a layered structure using an organic compound. The display part 110 is arrange | positioned in the instrument panel of a vehicle in the position where a user is easy to visually recognize, such as the position facing a user (driver | operator) or the position used as the center of the left-right direction of a vehicle.

  The display part 110 shall display the various vehicle information images as various information relevant to a vehicle like a normal combination meter, for example. Various vehicle information images include, for example, basic information images such as vehicle speed values, engine rotation values, engine water temperature values, and remaining fuel amount, integrated travel distance, travel status (normal, eco, power status, etc.), Vehicle information images such as average fuel consumption and cruising range, and various caution / warning images based on the occurrence of problems.

  In addition to the above, the display unit 110 displays various information images such as a map image displayed by a car navigation device, an operating state image of a vehicle air conditioner, or a switch image for operating condition input. (Icon etc.) may be displayed.

  A surface of the display unit 110 facing the user is a display surface 111, and various information images described above are formed. A plurality of pixels are arranged on the display surface 111, and various information images are formed by the plurality of pixels.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of pixels, for example, form a row in the horizontal direction and a column in the vertical direction on the display surface 111 with the pixel 111R, the pixel 111G, and the pixel 111B as one unit (RGB element). It is arranged. Each of the pixels 111R, 111G, and 111B has a vertically long strip shape, and three pixels 111R, 111G, and 111B are aligned in the left-right direction to form one unit.

  Among the plurality of pixels 111R, 111G, and 111B, the pixel 111R is a pixel that emits red light, the pixel 111G is a pixel that emits green light, and the pixel 111B is a pixel that emits blue light. These three types of pixels 111R, 111G, and 111B are capable of emitting light by dividing the shade (brightness) of each color into a plurality of steps (gradations), and indicate the gradation values (number of shade steps) of each color. By adjusting (value) and mixing, full color formation is possible. The gradation of each color is, for example, 256 levels (1, 2,..., 256). The gradation value 1 is the black display color, and the gradation value 256 is the brightest display color (red, green, blue). The gradation value is a value correlated to the luminance when the pixels 111R, 111G, and 111B emit light.

  In the present embodiment, one pixel 111R (111G, 111B) is divided into a plurality of regions on the display surface 111. Here, the plurality of areas are, for example, three areas. The three regions are divided in the vertical direction in one pixel 111R, and are a first region R1, a second region R2, and a third region R3. In each of the regions R1, R2, and R3, a light emitting element Le whose light emission is controlled by the image control unit 120 described later is provided. Each light emitting element Le can be independently turned on and off.

  The three regions in the pixel 111G are a first region G1, a second region G2, and a third region G3, and the three regions in the pixel 111B are the first region B1, the second region B2, And the third area B3.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the image control unit (hereinafter referred to as a control unit) 120 controls the display state of an image on the display unit 110 and also turns on or off the light emitting elements Le of a plurality of pixels. This is a part to be controlled according to the lighting brightness and lighting time (details will be described later). The control unit 120 includes an image processing unit 121, a timing controller 122, a gate driver 123, a source driver 124, and the like.

  The image processing unit 121 is a part that generates and processes an image to be displayed on the display unit 110, and outputs image data to the timing controller 122 as a video signal. The image processing unit 121 includes a gradation display time measurement unit 121a, a gradation display time storage unit 121b, a table storage unit 121c, and the like. The gradation display time measurement unit 121a, the gradation display time storage unit 121b, and the table storage unit 121c use gradation value data of each pixel as the lighting luminance of each light emitting element Le.

  The gradation display time measurement unit 121a sequentially measures the lighting time for each gradation value when lighting each light emitting element Le with various gradation values for image display, This is a part for grasping the cumulative value of the lighting time for each.

  The gradation display time storage unit 121b is a part that stores (stores) the accumulated lighting time value for each gradation value measured (obtained) by the gradation display time measurement unit 121a while being updated. There is.

  The table storage unit 121c is a part that stores (stores) a predetermined switching determination table and a light emitting area selection table.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the switching determination table is a table for determining the timing at which the lighting state is switched for the plurality of light emitting elements Le in each pixel 111R (111G, 111B). In the switching determination table, whether or not the cumulative value (h1 to hn time) of the lighting time for each gradation value (1 to n) in the gradation display time storage unit 121b has reached a predetermined determination time (H1 to Hn). It is possible to determine the

  The higher the gradation value (brightness) in the light emitting element Le, the larger the degree of deterioration of the light emitting element Le with the passage of time. In other words, the time until the light emitting element Le reaches the predetermined deterioration level from the initial state (new state) is shorter as the gradation value is higher. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the determination times H <b> 1 to Hn are set so as to decrease in the order of H <b> 1 to Hn as the time to reach a predetermined deterioration level. The determination times H1 to Hn are set based on, for example, desktop calculation or actual machine confirmation.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the light emitting area selection table is a table for determining the turn-on order (including the combination to be turned on) for a plurality of light-emitting elements Le in each pixel 111R (111G, 111B). It has become. For example, in the three light emitting elements Le of the pixel 111R, each light emitting element Le is turned on one by one as the first round, and the combination of the two light emitting elements Le is turned on as the second round. The content of lighting the light emitting elements Le in combination is determined in advance.

  Referring back to FIG. 1 again, the timing controller 122 generates a timing signal according to the video signal from the image processing unit 121, and outputs the timing signal to the gate driver 123 and the source driver 124. There is.

  The gate driver 123 converts the timing signal output from the timing controller 122 into a voltage waveform and outputs the voltage waveform to a plurality of pixels (111 R, 111 G, 111 B) on the display surface 111. The gate driver 123 outputs a video signal for each row to pixels forming a row among a plurality of pixels (111R, 111G, and 111B matrix).

  The source driver 124 converts the timing signal output from the timing controller 122 into a voltage waveform and outputs the voltage waveform to a plurality of pixels (111 R, 111 G, 111 B) on the display surface 111. The source driver 124 is configured to output a video signal for each column to the pixels forming the column among the plurality of pixels (the matrix of 111R, 111G, and 111B).

  The display device 100 according to the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, and the operation and effect will be described below with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

  The control unit 120 outputs a video signal to the display unit 110, and causes the display surface 111 to display various information images as described above. For example, as illustrated on the left in the upper part of FIG. 5, the control unit 120 lights various types of information on the display surface 111 by turning on the light emitting elements Le in the first region of each pixel in the initial stage (first round). Display the image.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 6, in step S100, the control unit 120 grasps the accumulated value of the lighting time for each gradation value of the light emitting element Le in each pixel by the gradation display time measuring unit 121a, and displays the gradation. It is stored (stored) in the time storage unit 121b.

  Next, in step S110, the control unit 120 selects one of the accumulated lighting time values for each gradation value of the light emitting element Le stored in the gradation display time storage unit 121b (one or more at the same time). However, it is determined whether or not the determination time described in FIG. 3 has been reached.

  If it is determined NO in step S110, the control unit 120 repeats steps S100 and S110. However, if an affirmative determination is made in step S110, the control unit 120 performs lighting switching of the light emitting element Le that has been lit up until now, based on the light emitting region selection table described in FIG.

  For example, in the first round, the light emitting element Le in the first region R1 in the pixel is turned on, and as described in FIG. 3, the cumulative value of the lighting time at an arbitrary gradation value corresponds to this. When the determination time is reached, as shown in the middle in the upper part of FIG. 5, the control unit 120 switches the lighting of the light emitting element Le. That is, the control unit 120 turns off the light emitting element Le in the first region R1, turns on the light emitting element Le in the second region R2, and forms an image with the light emitting element Le in the second region R2.

  Furthermore, in the light emitting element Le in the second region R2, when the accumulated value of the lighting time at an arbitrary gradation value reaches the corresponding determination time, as shown on the right in the upper part of FIG. 120 performs lighting switching of the next light emitting element Le. That is, the control unit 120 turns off the light emitting element Le in the second region R2, turns on the light emitting element Le in the third region R3, and forms an image with the light emitting element Le in the third region R3.

  In the first round, the control unit 120 sets the output of each light-emitting element Le to 100%, as it is the start of the initial state.

  In the light emitting element Le in the third region R3, when the accumulated value of the lighting time at an arbitrary gradation value reaches the corresponding determination time, the control unit 120 enters the second round. In the second round, lighting control is performed by combining two light emitting elements Le.

  In the second round, as shown in the middle part of FIG. 5, the control unit 120 combines the light emitting elements Le in the first region R1 and the second region R2, and the light emitting elements Le in the second region R2 and the third region R3. The combination of the light emitting elements Le in the third region R3 and the first region R1 is sequentially turned on. When one of the two light emitting elements Le of each combination reaches the determination time corresponding to the accumulated lighting time at an arbitrary gradation value, the control unit 120 sequentially switches the combinations.

  In the second round, the control unit 120 considers the degree of deterioration of the light emitting element Le in the first round (for example, a reduction of about 20% output), and the output of the light emitting element Le is 50% × 2 = 100%. Set

  Further, in the combination of the light emitting elements Le in the third region R3 and the first region R1, in any one of the two light emitting elements Le in the combination, the cumulative value of the lighting time at an arbitrary gradation value corresponds to the determination. When the time is reached, the control unit 120 enters the third round of correspondence. In the third round, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 5, lighting control is performed in which three light emitting elements Le are combined.

  In the third round, the control unit 120 considers the degree of deterioration of the light emitting element Le in the second round (for example, a reduction of about 20% output), and the output of the light emitting element Le is 33% × 3 = 100%. Set

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the control unit 120 turns on and off the light emitting elements Le in the plurality of regions R1, R2, and R3 by turning on the lighting luminance (in this case, the gradation value) and Control is made according to the lighting time.

  Thereby, the lighting state is formed so that the plurality of pixels 111G are shared by the respective light emitting elements Le in the plurality of regions R1, R2, and R3 according to the lighting luminance (gradation value) and the lighting time. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the load of each light emitting element Le, and to suppress the degree of luminance decrease due to deterioration as shown in FIG. That is, the luminance maintenance rate with respect to the passage of time of the light emitting element Le is not significantly impaired. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in visibility due to pixel deterioration in the display unit 110. In the present embodiment, the setting of the light sensor, the dummy pixel, and the like as in the prior art is unnecessary.

  In addition, the control unit 120 stores in advance a light emitting area selection table indicating the order of the light emitting elements Le to be turned on according to the lighting luminance (gradation value) and the lighting time, and based on this light emitting area selection table. To control the lighting / extinguishing state.

  Thereby, complicated control (control program) is unnecessary, and each light emitting element Le in the plurality of regions R1, R2, and R3 can be easily switched.

  In addition, the order in the light emission area selection table includes a combination of light emitting elements Le to be lighted, and this combination covers the deterioration of the light emitting element Le with the passage of time, and the initial luminance can be increased. Targeted light emission becomes possible.

  Further, the control unit 120 uses the gradation value at the time of lighting of the light emitting element Le as the lighting luminance of the light emitting element Le. As a result, normally, it is possible to use a control value (tone value) in controlling the formation of an image.

(Other embodiments)
In the first embodiment, the number of divisions (regions) in the pixel 111R (111G, 111B) is three (R1, R2, R3). However, the number of divisions is not limited to this. The above case may be adopted.

  In addition, the light emitting area selection table indicates the order of light emitting elements Le and the order of combinations. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is good also as what determined only.

  Further, luminance may be used in place of the gradation value of the light emitting element Le in the switching determination table. Alternatively, a current value or a voltage value correlated with luminance may be used.

  Further, the display unit 110 has been described as a person who displays various vehicle information images, a map image of a car navigation device, an operation state image of a vehicle air conditioner, a switch image for operating condition input, and the like, but is not limited thereto. It is not a thing. For example, an information image related to a vehicle audio, a scenery image around the vehicle, or the like may be displayed. Furthermore, the present invention can be widely applied not only to vehicles but also to home display devices.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Self-light-emitting display apparatus 100 Image display part 111 Display surface 111R Pixel R1 1st area | region (multiple area | region)
R2 second area (multiple areas)
R3 third area (multiple areas)
Le light emitting element 120 Image control unit

Claims (2)

A self-luminous image display unit (110) that displays an image on a display surface (111) in which a plurality of pixels (111R) are arranged;
A self-luminous display device comprising: an image control unit (120) that controls a display state of the image in the image display unit;
Each of the plurality of pixels is divided into a plurality of regions (R1, R2, R3) on the display surface,
Each of the plurality of regions is provided with a light emitting element (Le) whose light emission is controlled by the image control unit,
The image control unit is configured to control the lighting / extinguishing state of each of the light emitting elements in the plurality of regions according to the lighting brightness and the cumulative lighting time when the light is turned on ,
The image control unit, in advance, in accordance with the lighting brightness and the cumulative lighting time, the order of the light emitting elements to be turned on one by one in the first round, and the combination of the light emitting elements to be turned on after the second round And in the combination, a table set so that the total output of the combination of the light emitting elements corresponds to the output of one light emitting element in the first round is stored, A self-luminous display device that controls the lighting / extinguishing state based on a table . The self-luminous display device according to claim 1 , wherein the image control unit uses a gradation value when the light emitting element is lit as the lighting luminance.

Images