This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 102103006, filed on Jan. 25, 2013. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.
The invention relates to a display apparatus and a pixel circuit thereof, and more particularly to an organic light emitting diode display apparatus and a pixel circuit thereof.
Along with technological advances, flat panel displays have been the display technology receiving the most attention in recent years. Among them, organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, with advantages such as self-luminescence, wide view angle, low power consumption, simple process, low cost, low work temperature range, high responsive speed and full colorization, have huge application potential and are thus expected to become the mainstream of next-generation flat panel displays.
An organic light emitting diode is usually serially connected to a transistor to control luminescence brightness of the organic light emitting diode. Through control of the conduction degree of the transistor, currents passing through the organic light emitting diode are controlled, and further, the luminescence brightness of the organic light emitting diode is controlled. In general, due to difference in line impedance, high voltages received by each pixel may differ from each other. Consequently, when the transistor coupled to the organic light emitting diode in different pixels is turned-on and each pixel is displayed in the same gray scale, the currents passing through the organic light emitting diode of each pixel may differ from each other, thus affecting display quality of the organic light emitting diode display. Therefore, how to eliminate influence of line impedance through circuit design has become an important topic in driving the organic light emitting diode.
The invention proposes an organic light emitting diode display apparatus, and a pixel circuit thereof to improve its display quality.
The invention provides a pixel circuit including a switch unit, a capacitor, a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor and an organic light emitting diode. The switch unit receives a data voltage, a scan signal and a ground voltage, and provides the data voltage or the ground voltage according to the scan signal. A first terminal of the capacitor is coupled to the switch unit to receive the data voltage or the ground voltage. A first terminal of the first transistor is coupled to the high voltage, a second terminal of the first transistor is coupled to a second terminal of the capacitor, and a control terminal of the first transistor receives a first switch signal. A first terminal of the second transistor is coupled to a high voltage, and a control terminal of the second transistor is coupled to the second terminal of the capacitor. A first terminal of the third transistor is coupled to a second terminal of the second transistor, a second terminal of the third transistor is coupled to the second terminal of the capacitor, and a control terminal of the third transistor receives a second switch signal. An anode of the organic light emitting diode is coupled to the second terminal of the second transistor, and a cathode of the organic light emitting diode is coupled to a system low voltage. In a pre-charging period, the first terminal of the capacitor receives the data voltage through the switch unit and the second terminal of the capacitor receives the high voltage through the turned-on first transistor. In a programming period, the first terminal of the capacitor receives the data voltage through the switch unit and the second terminal of the capacitor receives the high voltage that is encoded through the turned-on second and third transistors. In a display period, the first terminal of the capacitor receives the ground voltage through the switch unit and the first and third transistors are off.
The invention also provides an organic light emitting diode display apparatus including a power circuit and a pixel circuit. The power circuit is configured to provide a high voltage and a system low voltage. The pixel circuit includes a switch unit, a capacitor, a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor and an organic light emitting diode. The switch unit receives a data voltage, a scan signal and a ground voltage, and provides the data voltage or the ground voltage according to the scan signal. A first terminal of the capacitor is coupled to the switch unit to receive the data voltage or the ground voltage. A first terminal of the first transistor is coupled to the high voltage, a second terminal of the first transistor is coupled to a second terminal of the capacitor, and a control terminal of the first transistor receives a first switch signal. A first terminal of the second transistor is coupled to the high voltage, and a control terminal of the second transistor is coupled to the second terminal of the capacitor. A first terminal of the third transistor is coupled to a second terminal of the second transistor, a second terminal of the third transistor is coupled to the second terminal of the capacitor, and a control terminal of the third transistor receives a second switch signal. An anode of the organic light emitting diode is coupled to the second terminal of the second transistor, and a cathode of the organic light emitting diode is coupled to the system low voltage. In a pre-charging period, the first terminal of the capacitor receives the data voltage through the switch unit and the second terminal of the capacitor receives the high voltage through the turned-on first transistor. In a programming period, the first terminal of the capacitor receives the data voltage through the switch unit and the second terminal of the capacitor receives the high voltage that is encoded through the turned-on second and third transistors. In a display period, the first terminal of the capacitor receives the ground voltage through the switch unit and the first and third transistors are off.
In an embodiment of the invention, the switch unit includes a fourth transistor and a fifth transistor. A first terminal of the fourth transistor is coupled to the data voltage, a second terminal of the fourth transistor is coupled to the first terminal of the capacitor, and a control terminal of the fourth transistor receives the scan signal. A first terminal of the fifth transistor is coupled to the first terminal of the capacitor, a second terminal of the fifth transistor is coupled to the ground voltage, and a control terminal of the fifth transistor receives the scan signal. The fourth transistor is turned-on in the pre-charging period and the programming period, and the fifth transistor is turned-on in the display period.
In an embodiment of the invention, the first transistor, the second transistor, the third transistor and the fourth transistor are p-type transistors, and the fifth transistor is an n-type transistor.
In an embodiment of the invention, in the pre-charging period and the programming period, the scan signal that is enabled turns-on the fourth transistor and turns-off the fifth transistor. In the display period, the scan signal that is disabled turns-off the fourth transistor and turns-on the fifth transistor.
In an embodiment of the invention, the pixel circuit further includes a sixth transistor. A first terminal of the sixth transistor is coupled to the second terminal of the second transistor, a second terminal of the sixth transistor is coupled to the anode of the organic light emitting diode, and a control terminal of the sixth transistor receives a third switch signal, wherein the sixth transistor is turned-off in the pre-charging period and the programming period and is turned-on in the display period.
In an embodiment of the invention, the switch unit includes a seventh transistor and an eighth transistor. A first terminal of the seventh transistor is coupled to the data voltage, a second terminal of the seventh transistor is coupled to the first terminal of the capacitor, and a control terminal of the seventh transistor receives the scan signal. A first terminal of the eighth transistor is coupled to the first terminal of the capacitor, a second terminal of the eighth transistor is coupled to the ground voltage, and a control terminal of the eighth transistor receives a reverse signal of the scan signal. The seventh transistor is turned-on in the pre-charging period and the programming period, and the eighth transistor is turned-on in the display period.
In an embodiment of the invention, the first transistor, the second transistor, the third transistor, the seventh transistor and the eighth transistor are p-type transistors.
In an embodiment of the invention, in the pre-charging period and the programming period, the scan signal that is enabled turns-on the seventh transistor and turns-off the eighth transistor. In the display period, the scan signal that is disabled turns-off the seventh transistor and turns-on the eighth transistor.
In an embodiment of the invention, in the pre-charging period and the programming period, a voltage level of the system low voltage is increased to subject the organic light emitting diode is reverse-biased and turned-off. In the display period, the voltage level of the system low voltage is recovered.
In an embodiment of the invention, in the pre-charging period, the first switch signal that is enabled turns-on the first transistor and the second switch signal that is disabled turns off the third transistor. In the programming period, the first switch signal that is disabled turns-off the first transistor and the second switch signal that is enabled turns-on the third transistor. In the display period, the first switch signal that is disabled turns-off the first transistor and the second switch signal that is disabled turns-off the third transistor.
Based on the above, the organic light emitting diode display apparatus and the pixel circuit thereof according to the embodiments of the invention make it possible that after driving of the various switch signals and scan signals, currents passing through the organic light emitting diode in the display period vary correspondingly to the data voltage, regardless of the high voltage and a threshold voltage of the transistor. Accordingly, the influence of line impedance is eliminated and the display quality of the organic light emitting diode display apparatus is improved.
To make the aforementioned features and advantages of the invention more comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.
The power circuit 140 is coupled to the display panel 150, and provides a high voltage VDD1 and a system low voltage VSS1 to the display panel 150. The display panel 150 has a plurality of pixels PX, and each pixel PX receives the high voltage VDD1, the system low voltage VSS1, the corresponding data voltage VDT1, the corresponding scan signal SC and the corresponding switch signals SS1 and SS2.
In the present embodiment, the pixel PX includes a switch unit SW, a capacitor C1, transistors T1˜T3 (equivalent to first to third transistors) and an organic light emitting diode OLD. The switch unit SW receives the data voltage VDT1, the scan signal SC and a ground voltage GND, and provides the data voltage VDT1 or the ground voltage GND according to the scan signal SC. A first terminal of the capacitor C1 is coupled to the switch unit SW to receive the data voltage VDT1 or the ground voltage GND. A source (equivalent to a first terminal) of the transistor T1 is coupled to the high voltage VDD1, a drain (equivalent to a second terminal) of the transistor T1 is coupled to a second terminal of the capacitor C1, and a gate (equivalent to a control terminal) of the transistor T1 receives the switch signal SS1. A source (equivalent to a first terminal) of the transistor T2 is coupled to the high voltage VDD1, and a gate (equivalent to a control terminal) of the transistor T2 is coupled to the second terminal of the capacitor C1. A source (equivalent to a first terminal) of the transistor T3 is coupled to a drain of the transistor T2, a drain (equivalent to a second terminal) of the transistor T3 is coupled to the second terminal of the capacitor C1, and a gate (equivalent to a control terminal) of the transistor T3 receives the switch signal SS2. An anode of the organic light emitting diode OLD is coupled to the drain of the transistor T2, and a cathode of the organic light emitting diode OLD is coupled to the system low voltage VSS1.
At this moment, a voltage across the capacitor C1 is equal to VDT1-VDD1 (i.e. the data voltage VDT1 minus the high voltage VDD1). Furthermore, the power circuit 140 increases a voltage level of the system low voltage VSS1 to cause a voltage level of the cathode of the organic light emitting diode OLD to be higher than a voltage level of the anode thereof, which means that the organic light emitting diode OLD is reverse-biased, so that the organic light emitting diode OLD is turned-off. Thus, a situation is prevented that the drain of the transistor T2 receives the system low voltage VSS1 through the organic light emitting diode OLD and affects the voltage level of the node N1.
At this moment, since the power circuit 140 still increases the voltage level of the system low voltage VSS1, the organic light emitting diode OLD remains in the turned-off state. The voltage level of the gate of the transistor T2 is lower than the high voltage VDD1. Meanwhile, a voltage difference between the voltage level of the gate of the transistor T2 and the high voltage VDD1 is greater than or equal to a threshold voltage of the transistor T2. Therefore, the transistor T2 is turned-on to enable the second terminal (i.e. node N1) of the capacitor C1 to receive the high voltage VDD1 through the turned-on transistors T2 and T3, so that the voltage level of the node N1 (i.e. the gate of the transistor T2) is equal to VDD1−|VTH| (i.e. the high voltage VDD1 minus the threshold voltage of the transistor T2). Here, the voltage across the capacitor C1 is equal to VDT1−VDD1+|VTH| (i.e. the data voltage VDT1 minus the high voltage VDD 1 and then plus the threshold voltage of the transistor T2).
In the display period P3, a current Id passing through the organic light emitting diode OLD meets Id=K(VDD1−VG−|VTH|)2, i.e. a current coefficient K times the square of the high voltage VDD1 minus a gate voltage VG of the transistor T2 and minus the threshold voltage VTH of the transistor T2. Since the voltage level of the node N1 is equal to VDD1−VDT1−|VTH| (i.e. the gate voltage VG of the transistor T2), the equation of the current Id may be expanded as Id=K(VDD1−|VTH|−VDD1+VDT1+|VTH|)2, and then simplified as Id=K(VDT1)2, which means that the current Id passing through the organic light emitting diode OLD is only related to the data voltage VDT1. Therefore, the current Id passing through the organic light emitting diode OLD is neither affected by the threshold voltage VTH of the transistor T2 nor by the high voltage VDD1, which means that the current Id passing through the organic light emitting diode OLD is not affected by line impedance.
In this way, when materials or characteristics of the transistors T2 of different pixel PXa differ to result in different threshold voltages, the value of a current Id2 of each pixel is the same. Therefore, the brightness displayed by different pixels is consistent, and uneven display brightness does not occur. Furthermore, when the voltage levels of the high voltages VDD1 received by each pixel PXa differ due to different line impedance, the current Id is not affected, and thus display of the pixel PXa is not affected. Following the above, in cases where the current Id is stable, service life of the organic light emitting diode OLD is extended correspondingly.
In summary, in the organic light emitting diode display apparatus and the pixel circuit thereof of the embodiments of the invention, the pixel circuit makes it possible that after driving the various switch signals and scan signals, the currents passing through the organic light emitting diode in the display period vary correspondingly to the data voltage, regardless of the high voltage and threshold voltage of the transistor. Accordingly, the influence of line impedance is eliminated and the display quality of the organic light emitting diode display apparatus is improved. In addition, service life of the organic light emitting diode is also extended.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the invention covers modifications and variations of this disclosure provided that they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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102103006 | Jan 2013 | TW | national |