JP2007108774A - Organic thin film EL display device and driving method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an organic thin-film EL display device whose driving voltage can be suppressed low and which does not have luminance variance with positions of pixels and is capable of luminance gray scale control even when the display device has high resolution, and a driving method thereof. <P>SOLUTION: Disclosed is the driving method for driving the organic thin-film EL display device by a current source connected to a voltage source of a driving voltage VCC while data electrodes are arranged on low-resistance-side wires and scanning electrodes are arranged on high-resistance-side wires in consideration of resistance values of wire electrodes of an X-Y matrix type organic EL display device and currents flowing to the wire electrodes, the driving voltage VCC being a specified voltage meeting the condition that the current source is in constant current operation without fail in spite of variance in wiring resistance with positions of pixels. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an organic thin film EL display device using an organic electroluminescence (hereinafter referred to as EL) light emitting element and a driving method thereof.

  The organic thin film EL element is a current-controlled light emitting element that emits light by injecting positive and negative charges into an organic compound that is almost an insulator thin film from an electrode and recombining them to emit light.

  In recent years, organic thin film EL elements using the EL phenomenon of organic thin films have been developed by various companies.

  Conventional organic thin film EL elements of this type include, for example, JP-A-59-194393 (Patent Document 1), JP-A-63-264692 (Patent Document 2), JP-A-63-295695 (Patent Document 3). ) Are disclosed in each publication.

  Such an organic thin-film EL element is a self-luminous light-emitting element that can be driven with a low DC voltage. A display device using the organic thin-film EL element has a wide viewing angle, a bright display surface, and a thin and light body. It has advantages over liquid crystal displays. For this reason, it is highly expected as a large-capacity display device such as a display or a wall-mounted television that requires high reliability, and is being put to practical use.

  FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the organic thin film EL element.

  In the figure, an organic thin film EL element has an organic thin film 3 and a cathode 4 laminated in this order on an anode 2 provided on a glass substrate 1.

  The anode 2 is a transparent electrode that increases the transmittance of light emission, and various transparent electrode materials such as ITO (indium tin oxide), stannic oxide, and indium oxide can be used.

  The organic thin film 3 has a light emitting layer containing at least a light emitting material made of an organic compound, and is composed of a light emitting layer alone, a light emitting layer and a hole injection layer, an electron transport layer and a light emitting layer. A layer composed of a layer, a layer composed of an electron transport layer, a light-emitting layer, and a hole injection layer, a mixture of materials having these functions, or a material dispersed in a polymer. Formed with.

  The cathode 4 can be used with various metals such as Mg, In, Ag, Li, and Al, and alloys thereof in a single layer or stacked, and is formed by a vacuum deposition method or the like.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the structure of an XY matrix organic thin film EL display device in which the anode 2 and the cathode 4 of such an organic thin film EL element are formed in stripes and arranged so as to cross each other.

  In the figure, the organic thin-film EL display device has pixels formed at the intersections of the anode 2 and the cathode 4, and the anode 2 and the cathode 4 are appropriately selected, and a current or a voltage is applied to the pixels located at the corresponding intersections to excite them. Thus, selective light emission can be performed.

  As a driving method of such an XY matrix type display device, there is a method of connecting a switching element for applying a driving voltage to the cathode 2 and the anode 4 and providing a control circuit thereof to perform line sequential scanning. No. 6-301355 (Patent Document 4) and “Development Strategy of Organic EL Element” (page 69, Science Forum, 1992) (Non-Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit of matrix driving in such an organic thin film EL display device.

  In the figure, striped data electrodes Y1 to Ym and scan electrodes X1 to Xn (first and first electrodes) each composed of a plurality of unit electrodes respectively corresponding to a plurality of organic thin film EL elements EL (Xi, Yl) as light emitting layers made of organic matter. 2 stripe electrodes). Each data electrode Y1 to Ym (first unit electrode) is connected to a drive power supply system having a drive voltage VB through a row selection switching unit 5 having an electrode switching unit for each data electrode Y1 to Ym. The scan electrodes X1 to Xn (second unit electrodes) are connected to a column selection switching unit 7 having normally-off MOSFETs 6 (1) to 6 (n) for the scan electrodes X1 to Xn. The row and column selection switching units 5 and 7 are controlled by a control unit (not shown) based on a semiconductor memory in which display data to be displayed is stored.

  Here, each electrode switching unit includes an electrode switching circuit 8 (1) to 8 (m), an NPN bipolar transistor 9 (1) to 9 (m), and a normally-on (normally in an ON state) MOSFET 10 ( 1) to 10 (m), the collector terminals of the bipolar transistors 9 (1) to 9 (m) are connected to the drive power supply system, the emitter terminals of the bipolar transistors 9 (1) to 9 (m) and the MOSFET 10 Source terminals (1) to 10 (m) are connected to corresponding data electrodes Y1 to Ym. The drain terminals of the MOSFETs 10 (1) to 10 (m) are connected to the ground, and the base terminals of the bipolar transistors 9 (1) to 9 (m) and the gate terminals of the MOSFETs 10 (1) to 10 (m). Are connected to the first and second output sections of the electrode switching circuits 8 (1) to 8 (m).

  In the MOSFETs 6 (1) to 6 (n) of the column selection switching unit 7, the corresponding scanning electrodes X1 to Xn are connected to the source terminal, and the scanning electrodes are connected to the ground via the drain terminal by the signal input to the gate terminal. It is possible.

  Therefore, the data electrodes Y1 to Ym are connected to the forward bias in the excited state (light emission) and grounded in the non-excited state, and the scan electrodes X1 to Xn are grounded when selected and floated when not selected.

  Next, matrix driving of such an XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device will be described.

  First, the control unit sends an electrode switching signal indicating the pixel (Xi, Yl) for each position to be displayed to the row and column selection switching units 5 and 7. By this electrode switching signal, the gate of the MOSFET 6 (i) corresponding to the scanning electrode Xi, the base of the bipolar transistor 9 (l) corresponding to the data electrode Yl, and the gate of the MOSFET 10 (l) are respectively synchronized with the high level. Is input, the scan electrode Xi is grounded, and the data electrode Yl is latched at the forward bias voltage VB.

  At this time, if the forward bias drive voltage VB is a sufficient voltage equal to or higher than the light emission threshold, current flows into the organic thin film EL element corresponding to the pixel (Xi, Yl), and the organic thin film is excited to emit light. To do. On the other hand, since the non-selected data electrode Yk (k ≠ l) is grounded, no voltage is applied to the organic thin film EL element on the Yk electrode and no light is emitted. Further, the non-selected scan electrodes Xj (j ≠ i) are latched in the float state, and no current flows in the steady state.

  As described above, the light emission / non-light emission state is formed on the scanning electrode Xi, and a desired image is displayed by repeatedly displaying the light emission / non-light emission state while sequentially selecting the scan electrode Xi.

  In addition, the display of an image having luminance gradation is performed by applying a forward bias voltage having a pulse width corresponding to the luminance gradation of each pixel (Xi, Y1 to Ym) on the selected scanning electrode Xi to each data electrode Y1 to Ym. By controlling the time of the light emitting state of each organic thin film EL element by applying to the time, the time averaged luminance (average luminance) is adjusted.

JP 59-194393 A JP 63-264692 A, JP-A 63-295695 JP-A-6-301355 "Development strategy of organic EL devices" (69 pages, Science Forum, 1992)

  However, since such a conventional organic thin film EL display device is configured as described above, in order to increase the resolution of the organic thin film EL display device, data electrodes Y1 to Ym and / or scanning electrodes X1 to X1 are used. It is necessary to increase the number of Xn electrodes to increase the number of pixels. As the number of electrodes increases, the electrode width increases because the electrode width decreases.

  In addition, when the repetition time (frame display time) of the image to be displayed is constant, the time for selecting one scan electrode is shortened in inverse proportion to the number of scan electrodes, and the light emission time of the organic thin film EL element is shortened. As shown in FIG. 22, the time-averaged light emission luminance is lowered. Therefore, in order to keep the light emission luminance constant, it is necessary to increase the voltage by increasing the voltage applied to the organic thin film EL element to increase the light emission luminance. .

  Therefore, if the resolution is increased while maintaining the display brightness of the organic thin film EL display device, the wiring resistance due to the wiring electrode to the pixel increases, and the current flowing through the pixel also increases in order to maintain the brightness. The drop (product of wiring resistance and current) increases, and the forward bias voltage VB, which is the drive voltage of the display device, needs to be set high in response to the voltage drop due to the wiring resistance.

  Further, when the wiring resistance increases due to the higher resolution of the display device, the difference in wiring resistance due to the position of the pixel in the display device cannot be ignored. That is, the voltage drop to each pixel due to the wiring resistance is different. In the constant voltage driving with the forward bias voltage VB, the voltage applied to the organic thin film EL element of each pixel is a voltage obtained by subtracting the voltage drop due to the wiring resistance from the forward bias voltage VB. As a result, there is a problem in that variations in emission luminance occur.

  On the other hand, when the luminance gradation is controlled by applying a forward bias voltage VB having a pulse width corresponding to the luminance gradation of the pixel in the display device to the organic thin film EL element, as described above, the resolution of the display device is increased. The light emission time of the organic thin film EL element is shortened, and in order to increase the number of gradations that can be controlled, it is necessary to control with a shorter pulse width. However, in an actual display device, the pulsed forward bias voltage VB has a rounded waveform as shown in FIG. 23 due to the time constant between the wiring resistance and the organic thin film EL element, and the pulse width of the applied forward bias voltage VB. And the proportionality between the time-averaged light emission luminances do not hold. Further, since the wiring resistance varies depending on the position of the pixel, the relationship between the pulse width of the forward bias voltage VB applied to each pixel and the time-averaged light emission luminance also varies.

  Such luminance control deviation becomes more pronounced as the number of gradations to be controlled increases and the pulse width of the forward bias voltage VB to be applied becomes shorter. Therefore, accurate gradation display and higher-order display are possible regardless of the response speed of the organic thin film EL element. The key cannot be displayed.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-148667 discloses a memory cell capable of storing a plurality of binarized bit data corresponding to each organic thin film EL element (pixel) in the organic thin film EL display device and an output signal thereof. There is disclosed a method of changing a luminance gradation by controlling a current supplied to each pixel, including a plurality of current supply sources for controlling the presence or absence of output. According to this method, even if the resolution is increased, the time during which one pixel is in a light-emitting state is not shortened, and a current source for each pixel can be arranged in the vicinity of the pixel. There is no difference in wiring resistance. However, the circuit configuration of this method requires a plurality of memory cells and a current supply source for each pixel in the organic thin film EL display device, which is very complicated and increases the cost of the display device. Not right.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and is an XY matrix type that has a simple structure without forming a plurality of memory cells or current sources for each pixel, and has a high resolution. An organic thin-film EL display device capable of controlling the luminance gradation without causing variation in luminance depending on the position of the pixel on the screen and a driving method thereof can be obtained even in an integrated display device. For the purpose.

  In the XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device having a light emitting layer made of at least an organic material, the present invention has a high resistance side electrode disposed on the data electrode wiring and a low resistance side electrode disposed on the scanning electrode wiring. Provided is an organic thin film EL display device characterized by suppressing a voltage drop due to wiring resistance.

  In the XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device having at least a light emitting layer made of an organic material, the present invention is driven by a current source connected to the voltage source of the drive voltage VCC, and the drive voltage VCC is changed to the position of the pixel. There is provided an organic thin film EL display device characterized in that the current source is set to a specific voltage or more that satisfies a constant current operation condition even if the wiring resistance varies due to the above.

  In the XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device having at least a light emitting layer made of an organic material, the present invention is driven by a current source connected to the voltage source of the drive voltage VCC, and the drive voltage VCC is changed to the position of the pixel. Provided is an organic thin film EL display device characterized by having a specific voltage or more that can suppress variations in display luminance due to the above.

  The present invention also provides an XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device having at least a light emitting layer made of an organic material, driven by a current source connected to a voltage source of a driving voltage VCC, and a constant current output of the current source as a pixel. Provided is an organic thin film EL display device characterized by performing gradation control of a pixel by controlling with a pulse width corresponding to the gradation.

  The present invention also provides an XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device having at least a light emitting layer made of an organic material, driven by a current source connected to a voltage source of a driving voltage VCC, and a constant current output of the current source as a pixel. Provided is an organic thin film EL display device that controls the gradation of a pixel by controlling with a current value corresponding to the gradation.

  In the XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device having at least a light emitting layer made of an organic material, the present invention is driven by a current source connected to the voltage source of the drive voltage VCC and also adjusts the drive voltage VCC. An organic thin film EL display device characterized in that the drive voltage VCC is adjusted for each scanning electrode by the adjusting means, and the power loss in the drive circuit is suppressed as a different voltage value by correcting the dispersion of the wiring resistance depending on the pixel position. I will provide a.

  The present invention also includes means for monitoring the voltage-current characteristics of the light emitting element, controls the constant current value of the current source based on information from the monitoring means, and corrects changes in the light emitting characteristics of the light emitting element. An organic thin film EL display device is provided.

  The present invention also includes means for monitoring the voltage-current characteristics of the light emitting element, and changes the current value control for controlling the current value of the current source based on information from the monitoring means, and the current value control after the change changes the current value control. Provided is an organic thin film EL display device which corrects a change in light emission characteristics of a light emitting element.

  The present invention also provides an organic thin-film EL display device comprising correction means for correcting a change in light emission characteristics of a light emitting element, and adjusting a change in display characteristics such as luminance characteristics and color balance by the correction means. .

  The present invention is also characterized by comprising correction means for correcting a change in the light emission characteristics of the light emitting element, and adjusting the change in display characteristics such as luminance characteristics and color balance by the correction means to suppress power loss in the drive circuit. An organic thin film EL display device is provided.

  The present invention also provides a driving method for an organic thin film EL display device in which an XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device having at least a light emitting layer made of an organic substance is driven by a current source connected to a voltage source of a driving voltage VCC. Provided is a driving method of an organic thin film EL display device, characterized in that the voltage VCC is set to a specific voltage or higher that satisfies the condition that the current source always operates at a constant current even if the wiring resistance varies depending on the pixel position. .

  The present invention also provides a driving method for an organic thin film EL display device in which an XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device having at least a light emitting layer made of an organic substance is driven by a current source connected to a voltage source of a driving voltage VCC. Provided is a driving method of an organic thin film EL display device, characterized in that the voltage VCC is set to be equal to or higher than a specific voltage capable of suppressing variations in display luminance depending on pixel positions.

  The present invention also provides an organic thin film EL display device driving method in which an XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device having a light emitting layer made of at least an organic substance is driven by a current source connected to a voltage source of a drive voltage VCC. Provided is a driving method of an organic thin film EL display device characterized in that a constant current output of a source is controlled with a pulse width corresponding to a gradation of a pixel to perform gradation control of the pixel.

  The present invention also provides an organic thin film EL display device driving method in which an XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device having a light emitting layer made of at least an organic substance is driven by a current source connected to a voltage source of a drive voltage VCC. Provided is a driving method of an organic thin film EL display device, characterized in that a constant current output of a source is controlled by a current value corresponding to a gradation of a pixel to perform gradation control of the pixel.

  The present invention also provides a driving method for an organic thin film EL display device in which an XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device having at least a light emitting layer made of an organic substance is driven by a current source connected to a voltage source of a driving voltage VCC. An adjustment unit that adjusts the voltage VCC is provided, and the adjustment unit adjusts the drive voltage VCC for each scan electrode to suppress power loss in the drive circuit as a different voltage value that corrects the variation in wiring resistance depending on the pixel position. An organic thin film EL display device driving method is provided.

  The present invention also includes means for monitoring the voltage-current characteristics of the light emitting element, controls the constant current value of the current source based on information from the monitoring means, and corrects changes in the light emitting characteristics of the light emitting element. A driving method of an organic thin film EL display device is provided.

  The present invention also includes means for monitoring the voltage-current characteristics of the light emitting element, and changes the current value control for controlling the current value of the current source based on information from the monitoring means, and the current value control after the change changes the current value control. Provided is a driving method of an organic thin film EL display device, characterized by correcting a change in light emission characteristics of a light emitting element.

  The present invention also includes a correction unit that corrects a change in the light emission characteristic of the light emitting element, and adjusts a change in display characteristics such as a luminance characteristic and a color balance by the correction unit. I will provide a.

  The present invention is also characterized by comprising correction means for correcting a change in the light emission characteristics of the light emitting element, and adjusting the change in display characteristics such as luminance characteristics and color balance by the correction means to suppress power loss in the drive circuit. Provided is a driving method of an organic thin film EL display device.

  When the high resistance side electrode is arranged for the data electrode wiring and the low resistance side electrode is arranged for the scanning electrode wiring so that the voltage drop due to the wiring resistance is kept low, the voltage drop due to the wiring resistance is kept low. be able to.

  Drive with a current source connected to the voltage source of the drive voltage VCC, and set the drive voltage VCC to a specific voltage or more that satisfies the condition that the current source always operates at a constant current even if the wiring resistance varies depending on the pixel position. When configured, variation in display luminance can be suppressed depending on the position of the pixel.

  When driving with a current source connected to the voltage source of the drive voltage VCC and the drive voltage VCC is configured to be higher than a specific voltage capable of suppressing variations in display luminance depending on the pixel position, display is performed according to the pixel position. Variation in luminance can be suppressed.

  When driving with a current source connected to the voltage source of the driving voltage VCC, and controlling the pixel current by controlling the constant current output of the current source with a pulse width corresponding to the pixel gradation. Therefore, it is possible to obtain an effect that an accurate gradation display can be performed and a high gradation can be achieved.

  When driving with a current source connected to the voltage source of the drive voltage VCC, and controlling the gradation of the pixel by controlling the constant current output of the current source with a current value corresponding to the gradation of the pixel Therefore, it is possible to obtain an effect that an accurate gradation display can be performed and a high gradation can be achieved.

  Driving is performed by a current source connected to the voltage source of the drive voltage VCC, and an adjustment unit that adjusts the drive voltage VCC is provided. The adjustment unit adjusts the drive voltage VCC for each scan electrode, and the wiring resistance varies depending on the pixel position. When the power loss in the drive circuit is suppressed as a different voltage value corrected for, the loss generated in the drive circuit such as a current source generated when driving a pixel with a small voltage drop due to the wiring resistance is kept low. be able to.

  In the case where it is provided with means for monitoring the voltage-current characteristics of the light emitting element, and the constant current value of the current source is controlled based on the information from the monitoring means so as to correct the change in the light emitting characteristics of the light emitting element. The change in the light emission characteristics of the light emitting element can be corrected.

  A means for monitoring the voltage-current characteristics of the light emitting element is provided, the current value control for controlling the current value of the current source is changed based on information from the monitoring means, and the light emission characteristics of the light emitting element are controlled by the current value control after the change. When it is configured to correct this change, it is possible to correct the change in the light emission characteristics of the light emitting element.

  When the correction means for correcting the change in the light emission characteristic of the light emitting element is provided and the correction means adjusts the change in the display characteristic such as the luminance characteristic and the color balance, the change in the light emission characteristic of the light emitting element is corrected. be able to.

  A light emitting element having a correcting means for correcting a change in the light emitting characteristic of the light emitting element and configured to adjust a change in display characteristics such as a luminance characteristic and a color balance by the correcting means to suppress power loss in the driving circuit; The change in the light emission characteristic can be corrected, and the power loss in the drive circuit can be suppressed.

  If the drive voltage VCC is set to a specific voltage that satisfies the condition that the current source always operates at a constant current even if the wiring resistance varies depending on the pixel position, the display luminance variation is suppressed depending on the pixel position. be able to.

  When the drive voltage VCC is set to a specific voltage or higher that can suppress variation in display luminance depending on the pixel position, it is possible to suppress the display luminance from varying depending on the pixel position.

  When the constant current output of the current source is controlled with the pulse width corresponding to the gradation of the pixel and the gradation control of the pixel is performed, accurate gradation display can be performed and high gradation can be achieved. .

  If the constant current output of the current source is controlled with a current value corresponding to the gradation of the pixel and the gradation control of the pixel is performed, accurate gradation display can be performed and high gradation can be achieved. .

  An adjustment means for adjusting the drive voltage VCC is provided, and the drive voltage VCC is adjusted for each scan electrode by the adjustment means so as to suppress power loss in the drive circuit as a different voltage value by correcting variations in wiring resistance due to pixel positions. In this case, loss generated in a drive circuit such as a current source generated when driving a pixel having a small voltage drop due to wiring resistance can be suppressed to a low level.

  When equipped with means for monitoring the voltage-current characteristics of the light emitting element, controlling the constant current value of the current source based on the information from the monitoring means, and correcting the change in the light emitting characteristics of the light emitting element, Changes in the light emission characteristics of the light emitting element can be corrected.

  A means for monitoring the voltage-current characteristics of the light emitting element is provided, the current value control for controlling the current value of the current source is changed based on information from the monitoring means, and the light emission characteristics of the light emitting element are controlled by the current value control after the change. When the change in the light-emitting element is corrected, the change in the light emission characteristic of the light-emitting element can be corrected.

  When a correction means for correcting a change in the light emission characteristic of the light emitting element is provided, and the change in the display characteristic such as the luminance characteristic or the color balance is adjusted by the correction means, the change in the light emission characteristic of the light emitting element is corrected. Can do.

  When a correction means for correcting a change in the light emission characteristic of the light emitting element is provided and the change in the display characteristic such as the luminance characteristic or the color balance is adjusted by the correction means to suppress the power loss in the drive circuit, Changes in the light emission characteristics can be corrected, and power loss in the drive circuit can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
1 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit of matrix driving in an organic thin film EL display device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  In the figure, the organic thin film EL element EL (Xi, Yl) includes striped scanning electrodes Y1 to Ym and data electrodes X1 to Xn (first and first electrodes) composed of a plurality of unit electrodes as in the conventional example shown in FIG. Light emitting element sandwiched between two stripe electrodes) in a matrix.

  Each scanning electrode Y1 to Ym (first unit electrode) is a shift register 11 (1) that sequentially shifts the scanning line selection signal for each horizontal synchronizing signal for each cathode and each scanning electrode Y1 to Ym. ) To 11 (m) and normally-off MOSFETs 12 (1) to 12 (m) are connected to the scan electrode selection switching unit 13.

  The AD converter (ADC) 14 converts the input video signal into a-bit digital data. The a-bit shift registers 15 (1) to 15 (n) constitute the a-bit line memory 16, sequentially shift the output data of the ADC 14 for each operation clock CLK (DOT), and digital data for one scanning line. Hold.

  PWM (pulse width modulation) converters 17 (1) to 17 (n) output pulse widths corresponding to the output data of the a-bit shift registers 15 (1) to 15 (n).

  The current sources 18 (1) to 18 (n) are controlled by output pulses of the PWM converters 17 (1) to 17 (n) and output a constant current. The configuration of the PWM converter 17 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The data electrodes X1 to Xn (second unit electrodes) are connected to the current sources 18 (1) to (n) connected to the anode of the organic thin film EL element and the voltage source 19 of the driving voltage VCC.

  FIG. 2 shows a voltage drop due to wiring resistance when the scan electrode Yl of the organic thin film EL display device is selected and the current value I flows through all the organic thin film EL elements EL (X1 to Xn) on the scan electrode Yl. It is a figure.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the current flowing through the data electrodes X1 to Xn is a current (current value I) for one pixel of the organic thin film EL element, and the voltage drop VRx due to the wiring resistance Rx (= ΔRx * l) of the data electrode. As shown in FIG. 2, VRx = ΔRx * l * I, and the maximum value is VRxmax = ΔRx * m * I.

  On the other hand, since the current flowing through the scan electrode Yl is sequentially added on the scan electrode, the current flowing through the inter-pixel wiring resistance ΔRy increases in increments of the current value I from the left in FIG.

  Accordingly, when the organic thin film EL elements EL (X1 to Xn, Yl) on the scanning electrode Yl are driven simultaneously, the voltage VRy generated by the wiring resistance of the scanning electrode Yl is between the wiring resistance ΔRy between the pixels and each pixel. The sum of the products of the flowing currents, and the maximum value is VRymax = ΔRy * (n−1) * n / 2 * I as shown in FIG.

  As described above, the current of each organic thin film EL element flows through the scan electrode in common, but only the current of the organic thin film EL element for one pixel flows through the data electrode. The voltage drop (VRxmax + VRymax) due to the wiring resistance is expressed by the following equation (1) when the aspect ratio (number of vertical pixels: number of horizontal pixels) of the display device is α (= m / n). ).

(VRxmax + VRymax) = (ΔRx * m * I) + {ΔRy * (n−1) * n / 2 * I}
= {Α * ΔRx + (n−1) / 2 * ΔRy} * n * I (1)
In general, the aspect ratio α is a value of 9/16, 3/4, 1/1. In the case of a video display device, the number of horizontal pixels n needs to be 200 or more at least. The coefficient (n−1) / 2 of the wiring resistance ΔRy of the scan electrode is larger than the coefficient α of the wiring resistance ΔRx of the data electrode.

  In this way, paying attention to the resistance value of the wiring electrode and the current flowing through the wiring electrode of the XY matrix type organic EL display device, the data electrode and the scanning electrode are arranged so that the voltage drop due to the wiring resistance is reduced.

  That is, in the organic thin film EL display device, in order to suppress the voltage drop due to the wiring resistance, it is necessary to dispose the high resistance side electrode on the data electrode wiring and the low resistance side electrode on the scanning electrode wiring. As described above, in this embodiment, the transparent electrode, which is the high resistance side electrode, is disposed in the data electrode wiring, and the metal electrode, which is the low resistance side electrode, is disposed in the scanning electrode wiring, thereby suppressing the voltage drop due to the wiring resistance to be low. It is possible.

  FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of the PWM converter 17.

  In the figure, 101 to 103 are flip-flops, 104 is a latch, 105 is a counter, 106 and 107 are AND gates, and 108 is an inverter.

  The flip-flops 101 and 102 and the AND gate 106 are circuits for detecting the falling timing of the horizontal synchronizing signal HD, and the counter 105 holds the output data of the a-bit shift register 15 (i).

  Hereinafter, a driving method of the organic thin film EL display device configured as described above will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a waveform diagram showing operation waveforms of the shift registers 11 (1) to (n) of the scanning line selection switching unit 13 of FIG.

  In the present embodiment, since one scan electrode is selected from all the scan electrodes Y1 to Ym, the scan line selection signal is a signal that becomes H level only in the 0th horizontal synchronization interval. The scanning line selection signal is input to the shift register 11 (1), and its output signal changes to H level at the rise timing of the first horizontal synchronization signal HD, and L at the rise timing of the second horizontal synchronization signal HD. Change to level. That is, the output signal of the shift register 11 (1) becomes H level only in the first horizontal synchronization signal section, and the scanning line selection signal is shifted by one horizontal synchronization time and input to the next shift register 11 (2). Similarly, in the shift registers 11 (2) to (n), since the scanning line selection signal is sequentially shifted by one horizontal synchronization time, the l-th shift register 11 (l) is only in the first horizontal synchronization period. The output becomes H level.

  Since the outputs of the shift registers 11 (1) to 11 (n) are connected to the gate terminals of the MOSFETs 12 (1) to 12 (m), when the output signal of the shift register is H level, the scan electrode is grounded. Connected to. In other words, the scanning electrodes Y1 to Ym are sequentially selected and switched by the scanning line selection switching unit 13 and connected to the ground.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the video signal is input to the ADC 14, converted into a-bit digital data by the ADC 14, and the output digital data is input to the a-bit shift register 15 (n).

  FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing the operation of the a-bit shift registers 15 (1) to (n).

  As shown in the figure, the a-bit shift register 15 (n) delays the output data of the ADC 14 by one cycle time of the operation clock CLK (DOT), and outputs the ADC 14 one cycle time before the operation clock CLK (DOT). Output data. The output data is input to the next a-bit shift register 15 (n-1) and PWM converter 17 (n).

  The next a-bit shift register 15 (n-1) further delays the output data of the a-bit shift register 15 (n) by one cycle time of the operation clock CLK (DOT), and two cycles of the operation clock CLK (DOT). The output data of the ADC 14 before the time is output, and the output data is input to the next a-bit shift register 15 (n-2) and the PWM converter 16 (n-1).

  In this way, the a-bit shift registers 15 (n) to (1) sequentially delay the output data of the ADC 14 by one cycle time of the operation clock CLK (DOT), and the last a-bit shift register 15 (1). Outputs the output data of the ADC 14 n cycles before the operation clock CLK (DOT), and inputs the output data to the PWM converter 16 (1).

  FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing the operation of the PWM converters 17 (1) to (n).

  3 and 6, the PWM converter 17 (i) operates from the output data of the a-bit shift register 15 (i) at the rising timing of the horizontal synchronizing signal HD, that is, from the falling timing of HD of the horizontal synchronizing signal. The output data i of the ADC 14 before (n + 1) period time of the clock CLK (DOT) is held internally. The PWM converter (i) outputs a pulse width of a time that is a product of one period of the PWM conversion clock CLK (PWM) and the held data.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the current sources 18 (1) to (n) have one terminal connected to the voltage source 19 of the drive voltage VCC and the other terminal connected to the organic thin film EL element via the data electrodes X1 to Xn. Then, the PWM converters 17 (1) to (n) are controlled so that a constant current (current value I) is output for a time corresponding to the pulse width of the signals.

  In the following, this operation will be described in more detail. For the sake of simplification of explanation, first, a case where one current source 18 (i) among the current sources 18 (1) to (n) is operating will be described.

  In FIG. 7, the current supplied from the current source 18 (i) flows to the organic thin film EL element EL (Xi, Yl) via the data electrode Xi, and the scanning electrode Yl selected and switched by the scanning line selection switching unit 13. It is the figure which showed the path | route of the electric current which flows into earth | ground via.

  The light emission amount of the organic thin film EL element EL (Xi, Yl) can be controlled by this current value I. At this time, the operating voltage necessary for the current source 18 (i) to correctly output the current value I is 0 if the current source 18 (i) is an ideal current source. Since the current source is constituted by such a current mirror circuit, an operating voltage VICC (≧ Vce + VE) that is equal to or higher than the sum of the voltage Vce between the emitter and collector of the transistor and the voltage VE due to the emitter resistance is required.

  In addition, the voltages generated by the current having the current value I flowing through the data electrode Xi, the organic thin film EL element EL (Xi, Yl), the scanning electrode Yl, and the MOSFET 12 (i) of the scanning line selection switching unit 13 are respectively Voltage. That is, the voltage generated between the anode 2 and the cathode 4 of the organic thin film EL element EL (Xi, Yl) is VEL, the voltage due to the wiring resistance Rx of the data electrode Xi is VRx (= ΔRx * I), and the wiring of the scanning electrode Yl. The voltage due to the resistance is VRy (= ΔRy * I), and the saturation voltage between the drain terminal and the source terminal of the MOSFET 12 (i) of the scanning line selection switching unit 13 is Vsw.

  Here, the voltage VEL of the organic thin film EL element is a voltage determined from, for example, current-luminescence luminance characteristics and current-voltage characteristics of the organic thin film EL elements as shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 qualitatively represent the characteristic diagrams shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 on page 44 of the monthly display July 1996 issue.

  FIG. 12 illustrates a process of determining the voltage of the organic thin film EL element from the characteristics as shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, and further includes a voltage source 19 and a current source 18 (i FIG. 6 is a simplified view of the organic thin film EL element EL (Xi, Yl) only extracted.

  In the figure, the current source 18 (i) is an ideal current source for the sake of simplicity of explanation. As shown in FIG. 9, when the drive voltage VCC is higher than the EL voltage VEL (I) at the current value I obtained from the current-voltage characteristics, that is, when VCC ≧ VEL (I), the organic thin film EL element is a current source. 18 (i) is a constant current drive state. At this time, the voltage of the organic thin film EL element is VEL (I), and the voltage VICC of the current source 18 (i) is the difference from the drive voltage, that is, VICC = VCC−VEL (I).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, when the drive voltage VCC is lower than the EL voltage VEL (I) at the current value I obtained from the current-voltage characteristics, that is, when VCC ≦ VEL (I), the organic thin film EL element is The voltage source 19 is in a constant voltage driving state. At this time, only the current I (VCC) (<I) at the drive voltage VCC, which is lower than the current value I of the current source 18 (i) flows.

  As described above, in order to drive at a constant current in order to control the light emission luminance of the organic thin film EL element, it is necessary to drive at a voltage equal to or higher than the EL voltage VEL (I) at the current value I. When an actual current path is considered, the voltages VRx and VRy due to the wiring resistance of the data electrode Xi and the scan electrode Yl from the drive voltage VCC, the voltage VICC and the scan line necessary for the current source 18 (i) to operate. It is necessary to consider the saturation voltage Vsw between the drain terminal and the source terminal of the MOSFET 12 (i) of the selection switching unit 13.

  Therefore, in the case of constant current driving in order to control the light emission luminance of the organic thin film EL element, the voltage obtained by subtracting the sum of the voltage drops in the current path from the driving voltage VCC is the EL voltage VEL ( I) or more, that is, (VCC−VRx−VRy−Vsw) ≧ VEL (I) is required.

  The voltages VRx and VRy due to the wiring resistance of the data electrode Xi and the scanning electrode Yl are maximum when the organic thin film EL element EL (X1, Ym) having the longest wiring length is selected, and the voltages are VRxmax = ΔRx, respectively. * M, VRymax = ΔRy * n.

  The case where one current source 18 (i) among the current sources 18 (1) to (n) is operating has been described above. In practice, however, all the current sources 18 (1) (1) are shown in FIG. ) To (n) must be considered at the same time.

  As described above, since the currents from the current sources 18 (1) to (n) are sequentially added on the scan electrode Yl, the current flowing to the wiring resistance ΔRy between the pixels is the current from the left in FIG. The value increases by I. Therefore, when the organic thin film EL elements EL (X1 to Xn, Yl) on the scanning electrode Yl are driven simultaneously, the maximum voltage VRymax generated by the wiring resistance of the scanning electrode Yl is the wiring resistance ΔRy between pixels and each Since this is the sum of products of currents flowing between the pixels, VRymax = ΔRy * (n−1) * n / 2 * I as shown in FIG.

  Here, when the drive voltage VCC of the voltage source 19 is less than or equal to the sum of the above voltages (the maximum values for VRx and VRy), that is, when VCC ≦ (VICC + VRxmax + VEL (I) + VRymax + Vsw), the wiring depends on the position of the pixel. Due to the difference in resistance value, a driving voltage required for the current source 18 (i) to operate at a constant current cannot be reached, and a pixel in a constant voltage driving state by the voltage source 19 is generated. As a result, the value of the current flowing through the organic thin film EL element EL (Xi, Yl) varies depending on the position of the screen, so that the emission luminance varies and the luminance variation within the screen of the organic thin film EL display device occurs.

  However, in the present embodiment, the drive voltage VCC of the voltage source 19 is set to a specific voltage that is equal to or higher than the sum of the above voltages (the maximum values for VRx and VRy), that is, VCC ≧ (VICC + VRxmax + VEL (I) + VRymax + Vsw). Therefore, even if there is a difference in the wiring resistance value depending on the position of the pixel, the current source 18 (i) always drives with a constant current, and the light emission luminance of the organic thin film EL element EL (Xi, Yl) can be controlled. The current value can be controlled. Therefore, the variation in the light emission luminance of the organic thin film EL element EL (Xi, Yl) does not occur regardless of the position of the screen, and the luminance variation does not occur in the screen of the organic thin film EL display device.

  Further, when the output of the current source 18 (i) operating at a constant current under the above conditions is controlled by the output pulse of the PWM converter 17 (i), the output current has a current value as shown in FIG. The pulse current is constant and has the same pulse width as the output pulse width of the PWM converter 17 (i). As shown in FIG. 7, the pulse current output from the current source 18 (i) includes the wiring resistance Rx of the data electrode, the organic thin film EL element EL (Xi, Yl), the wiring resistance Ry of the scanning electrode, and the MOSFET 12 (l). It flows in one current path.

  In the conventional example, the pulse voltage waveform for controlling the display luminance by the pulse width has a waveform rounding due to the wiring resistance and the time constant of the organic thin-film EL element. Since the source 18 (i) operates at a constant current, the current flowing through the organic thin film EL element (Xi, Yl) has the same waveform as the pulse current output from the current source 18 (i). That is, the output of the current source 18 (i) flows through one current path as shown in FIG. 7, and the current source 18 (i) operates at a constant current, so that the output waveform does not become distorted. The light emission luminance gradation of the thin film EL element can be controlled by the output pulse width of the PWM converter 17 (i).

  As described above, the current sources 18 (1) to (n) having one terminal connected to the voltage source 19 of the drive voltage VCC are connected to the data electrodes X1 to Xn of the XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device. In addition, as a pulse current having a pulse width corresponding to the luminance gradation of the pixel on the scan electrode for which the output current is selected, the drive voltage VCC is always operated at a constant current by the current sources 18 (1) to (n). When the XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device is driven so as to have a specific voltage or higher, the luminance gradation of the display image can be displayed without variation depending on the pixel position.

  As described above, the organic thin film EL display device according to the first embodiment pays attention to the resistance value of the wiring electrode of the XY matrix type organic EL display device and the current flowing through the wiring electrode, and the data electrode has a low resistance. Since the scanning electrode is arranged on the high resistance side wiring in the side wiring, the voltage drop due to the wiring resistance can be kept low. In addition, a driving method of driving the XY matrix organic EL display device with a current source connected to the voltage source of the driving voltage VCC is used, and the driving voltage VCC at this time has a variation in wiring resistance depending on the pixel position. However, since the current source is set to a specific voltage that satisfies the condition for the constant current operation, the display luminance due to the pixel position can be prevented from varying.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit for matrix driving in an organic thin film EL display device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the PWM converters 17 (1) to (n) of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are changed to DA converters 20 (1) to (n), and the DA converter 20 is changed. (1) to (n) output voltages corresponding to output data of the a-bit shift registers 15 (1) to (n), and current sources 18 (1) to (n) are DA converters 20 (1) to 20 (1) to (n). Outputs a constant current proportional to the output voltage of (n). The configuration and operation of each part other than that are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the description of the overlapping parts is omitted.

  In the above configuration, the conditions for the current sources 18 (1) to (n) to operate at a constant current are the same as in the first embodiment, with the drive voltage VCC of the voltage source 19 being VCC ≧ (VICC + VRxmax + VEL (I) + VRymax + Vsw ) Is set to a specific voltage. Under these conditions, as in the first embodiment, even if there is a difference in wiring resistance value depending on the pixel position, constant current driving is always performed by the current sources 18 (1) to (n). It is possible to control the light emission luminance of X1 to Xn, Yl) by the current values of the current sources 18 (1) to (n).

  Therefore, even when the XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device is driven by the method of the second embodiment, the luminance gradation of the display image can be displayed without variation depending on the pixel position.

  As described above, the organic thin film EL display device according to the second embodiment is a driving method in which the XY matrix type organic EL display device is driven by a current source connected to the voltage source of the driving voltage VCC. Even if there is a variation in wiring resistance depending on the pixel position, the driving voltage VCC is more than a specific voltage that satisfies the condition that the current source always operates at a constant current. Or the luminance value is controlled by changing the current value of the constant current operation, so that accurate gradation display and high gradation can be achieved.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the drive voltage VCC of the current sources 18 (1) to (n) is set to a specific constant voltage at which the current sources 18 (1) to (n) operate at a constant current. The voltage source 19 may be a variable voltage source capable of changing the voltage value, and this example will be described in the third embodiment.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit for matrix driving in an organic thin film EL display device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the description of the organic thin film EL display device according to the third embodiment, the same components as those of the organic thin film EL display device shown in FIG.

  In the figure, the voltage source that supplies the drive voltage VCC to the current sources 18 (1) to (n) is changed to a variable voltage source 19 'that can vary the voltage value, and further, the necessary drive for controlling the variable voltage source 19'. The voltage calculation means 21 is installed.

  The variable voltage source 19 'and the necessary drive voltage calculation means 21 constitute an adjustment means for adjusting the drive voltage VCC for each scan electrode as a whole.

  The conditions of the drive voltage VCC for the current sources 18 (1) to (n) to operate at a constant current are the wiring resistance of the data electrode up to the scan electrode selected as described above and the maximum luminance of the displayed image. That is, it is determined by the current values of the current sources 18 (1) to (n), and in the first and second embodiments, the drive voltage VCC is a specific voltage that is equal to or higher than the maximum value. Is low, the voltage difference from the maximum voltage drop due to the wiring resistance becomes the voltage of the current sources 18 (1) to (n), and the current sources 18 (1) to (n) lose their power.

  However, as shown in FIG. 14, with the voltage source 19 ′ as a variable voltage source, the wiring resistance due to the data electrodes up to the scan electrode selected for each scan electrode, and the currents of the current sources 18 (1) to (n) If the variable voltage source 19 ′ is controlled by the necessary drive voltage calculation means 21 from the value so that the current source 18 (1) to (n) becomes the drive voltage VCC necessary for the constant current operation, the current source The power loss at 18 (1) to (n) can be kept low.

  By the way, the drive voltage VCC of each scanning electrode may be VICC + VRx + VEL + VRy + Vsw <VCC. Here, VRx = ΔRx * l * I, l varies depending on the position of the selected scan electrode, and the total current flowing through the scan electrode also varies depending on the luminance of each pixel on the selected scan electrode. Therefore, the drive voltage VCC suitable for each scan electrode can be obtained in accordance with these changes.

  FIG. 14 shows an example in which the voltage source 19 of the first embodiment is changed to the variable voltage source 19 ′. However, the same applies even if the voltage source 19 is changed to the variable voltage source 19 ′ in the second embodiment. It is clear that a great effect can be obtained.

  As described above, the organic thin film EL display device according to the third embodiment is a driving method in which the XY matrix type organic EL display device is driven by a current source connected to the voltage source of the driving voltage VCC. There is provided an adjusting means for adjusting the voltage of the driving voltage VCC while setting the driving voltage VCC to a specific voltage that satisfies the condition that the current source always operates at a constant current even if the wiring resistance varies depending on the pixel position. Since the drive voltage VCC for each scan electrode is set to a different voltage value that corrects the dispersion of the wiring resistance depending on the pixel position, it is generated in a drive circuit such as a current source that is generated when driving a pixel with a small voltage drop due to the wiring resistance. Loss can be kept low.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit of matrix driving in an organic thin film EL display device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In the description of the organic thin film EL display device according to the fourth embodiment, the same components as those of the organic thin film EL display device shown in FIG.

  In the figure, variable current sources 18 '(1) to (n), voltage measuring means 22 (monitoring means) for measuring voltages across the variable current sources 18' (1) to (n), and a measured organic thin film EL. A characteristic table 23 for storing element characteristic change data (data as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 to be described later), a drive current correction unit 24 for correcting a drive current based on the characteristic change data stored in the characteristic table 23, And the drive voltage correction means 25 which correct | amends a drive voltage based on the characteristic change data stored in the characteristic table 23 is installed.

  The characteristic table 23, the drive current correction unit 24, and the drive voltage correction unit 25 constitute a correction unit that adjusts changes in display characteristics such as luminance characteristics and color balance as a whole.

  That is, in the fourth embodiment, the voltage measuring means 22 measures the voltages at both ends of the variable current sources 18 ′ (1) to (n), and the voltage-current (V-I) characteristics over time are determined from the change over time of the voltages. A voltage measuring means 22 for measuring the change is provided, the characteristic change data is read from the characteristic table 23 of the already measured organic thin film EL element, and the read characteristic change data is corrected by the drive current correction means 24 and the drive voltage correction means 25. Then, with this correction signal, the variable current sources 19 ′ (1) to (n) and the variable voltage source 19 ′ can be controlled to correct the light emission luminance of the organic thin film EL element.

  The calculation method of the correction signal is as follows.

  16 and 17 are diagrams qualitatively showing changes in characteristics of the organic thin-film EL elements shown on pages 85 and 86 of “Development strategy of organic EL elements” (published by Science Forum, Inc., 1992). FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the change with time of the current-voltage characteristic, and FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the change with time of the current-luminance characteristic.

  As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, in the organic thin film EL element, the voltage VEL (I) of the organic thin film EL element increases when the driving current is constant current I as the energization time elapses, and the light emission luminance L (I). Tend to be low.

  Returning to FIG. 15, as in the first embodiment, the organic thin film EL display is performed with the drive voltage VCC at which the variable current sources 18 ′ (1) to (n) outputting a constant current value operate at a constant current. When the device is driven, the voltage change ΔVEL of the organic thin-film EL element is a current source operation, so that the voltage change ΔVICC across the variable current source 18 ′ (i) should be measured as shown in FIG. Can do.

  From the voltage change ΔVEL of the organic thin film EL element and the time-dependent change characteristic table 23 of the organic thin film EL element that has already been measured, for example, according to the time change correction flowchart of the organic thin film EL element shown in FIG. It is possible to correct the decrease in light emission luminance of the organic thin film EL element by controlling the current values of the sources 18 ′ (1) to (n) to be large.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart for correcting a change with time of the organic thin film EL element. The left side of FIG. 18 shows each step ST of the flow, and the right side of FIG. 18 shows detailed processing of the corresponding step ST.

  First, in step ST1, the initial drive current I and the initial luminance L are set and output to the voltage-current characteristic temporal change data table (step ST3) and the voltage-luminance current characteristic temporal change data table (step ST4). In step ST2, the voltage change ΔVEL (voltage change ΔVICC across the variable current source 18 ′ (i)) of the organic thin film EL element is measured, and the voltage-current characteristics change with time table (step ST3) is measured. Output.

  In step ST3, using the voltage-current characteristic temporal change data table showing the voltage-current characteristic depending on the energization elapsed time, the voltage-current characteristic temporal change data, the initial driving current of the organic thin film EL element, and the voltage change ΔVEL An energization elapsed time t is obtained, and in step ST4, a luminance change ΔL is obtained from the temporal change data of the current-luminance characteristic and the energization elapsed time t, and a necessary correction current ΔI for correcting the luminance change is calculated.

  In step ST5, the voltage VEL ′ of the organic thin film EL element is calculated from the time-dependent data of the voltage-current characteristics, the necessary correction current ΔI for correcting the luminance change and the energization elapsed time t, and in step ST6, the drive current correction control is performed. I do. In this drive current correction control, the variable current source 18 ′ (i) is adjusted so that the corrected output current I ′ becomes the sum I + ΔI of the initial current I and the necessary correction current ΔI for correcting the luminance change. 18 '(i) is controlled (step ST8).

  In step ST7, the drive voltage VCC ′ necessary for the variable current source 18 ′ (i) to operate as a current source is calculated from the voltage VEL ′ of the organic thin film EL element after the brightness correction and the drive current correction control output, and the variable voltage The source 18 ′ is controlled (step ST9).

  As described above, even when the current value is corrected by the variable current sources 18 ′ (1) to (n) and the voltage of the organic thin film EL element is changed, that is, the current value is increased, the drive voltage VCC is also set so that the current source always operates. The variable voltage source 19 ′ is controlled by the drive voltage correction 25 from the temporal change characteristic table 23 of the organic thin film EL element that has been similarly measured.

  In addition, the drive voltage VCC is set to the optimum value for each scan electrode as in the third embodiment as compared with the fourth embodiment, so that the change with time of energization of the organic thin film EL display device is corrected and the power loss. Can be suppressed.

  In addition, correction is performed as the time changes, but this correction is performed depending on the number of times the device is turned on and off, or is performed according to the usage time (total usage time) of the device, or always. Can do.

  As described above, the organic thin film EL display device according to the fourth embodiment is a driving method in which the XY matrix type organic EL display device is driven by a current source connected to the voltage source of the driving voltage VCC. The drive voltage VCC at the time is set to a specific voltage that satisfies the condition that the current source always operates at a constant current even if the wiring resistance varies depending on the pixel position, and the voltage-current (V of the light emitting element in the display device). -I) Since the monitor means for monitoring the characteristics is provided and the current value of the current source for constant current operation is controlled based on the information from the monitor means, the change in the light emission characteristics of the light emitting element can be corrected. it can.

  In addition, although each said embodiment is applied to the XY matrix type organic thin film EL display apparatus and drive method which drive with the electric current source connected to the voltage source of the drive voltage VCC, an organic thin film EL display element is used. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to any electrode structure and driving method as long as the apparatus is provided and the driving method thereof.

  Further, it goes without saying that the light-emitting layer made of, for example, an organic material constituting the organic thin film EL display device, the type of the display device having the light-emitting layer, the electrode connection state, and the like are not limited to the above-described embodiments.

It is a figure which shows the equivalent circuit of the matrix drive in the organic thin-film EL display apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the figure which showed the voltage drop by wiring resistance when the scanning electrode of the organic thin film EL display apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention is selected, and electric current value is flowing into all the organic thin film EL elements EL on a scanning electrode. . It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the PWM converter of the organic thin film EL display apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a wave form diagram which shows the operation | movement waveform of the shift register of the scanning-line selection switching part of the organic thin-film EL display apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a timing chart for demonstrating operation | movement of the a bit shift register of the organic thin-film EL display apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a timing chart for demonstrating operation | movement of the PWM converter of the organic thin film EL display apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the path | route of the electric current which flows into the organic thin film EL element EL of the organic thin film EL display apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example at the time of comprising the current source of the organic thin-film EL display apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention with the current mirror circuit. It is a figure which shows qualitatively the current-voltage characteristic of the organic thin film EL element of the organic thin film EL display device by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows qualitatively the current-voltage characteristic of the organic thin film EL element of the organic thin film EL display device by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows qualitatively the electric current-light-emitting luminance characteristic of the organic thin film EL element of the organic thin film EL display device by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the figure which extracts and simplifies and shows the principal part of the organic thin film EL element EL of the organic thin film EL display apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the equivalent circuit of the matrix drive in the organic thin-film EL display apparatus by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the equivalent circuit of the matrix drive in the organic thin-film EL display apparatus by Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the equivalent circuit of the matrix drive in the organic thin-film EL display apparatus by Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows qualitatively the time-dependent change characteristic of the organic thin film EL element of the organic thin film EL display apparatus by Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows qualitatively the time-dependent change characteristic of the organic thin film EL element of the organic thin film EL display apparatus by Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a flowchart of a time-dependent change correction | amendment of the organic thin-film EL display apparatus by Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the conventional organic thin film EL element. It is a figure which shows the structure of the XY matrix organic thin film EL display apparatus with which the anode and cathode of the conventional organic thin film EL element were formed in stripe shape, and it has arrange | positioned so that it may mutually cross | intersect. It is a figure which shows the equivalent circuit of the matrix drive in the conventional organic thin film EL display apparatus. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the light emission time of a conventional organic thin film EL element, and a brightness | luminance. It is the figure which showed the voltage waveform of the matrix drive circuit in the conventional organic thin film EL display apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  11 (1) to 11 (m) shift register, 12 (1) to 12 (m) MOSFET, 13 scan electrode selection switching unit, 14 AD converter (ADC), 15 (1) to 15 (n) a bit shift register 16 a bit line memory, 17 (1) to 17 (n) PWM converter, 18 (1) to 18 (n) current source, 18 'variable current source, 19 voltage source, 19' variable voltage source, 20 ( 1) to (n) DA converter, 21 required drive voltage calculation means, 22 voltage measurement means, 23 characteristic table, 24 drive current correction means, 25 drive voltage correction means, EL (Xi, Yl) organic thin film EL element, Y1 ~ Ym scan electrode, X1 ~ Xn data electrode, VCC drive voltage.

Claims (8)

  In an XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device having at least a light emitting layer made of an organic material, it is driven by a current source connected to a voltage source of a driving voltage VCC, and a constant current output of the current source is set to a pixel gradation. An organic thin-film EL display device, wherein gradation control of a pixel is performed by controlling with a corresponding pulse width.   And a means for monitoring a voltage-current characteristic of the light emitting element, wherein the constant current value of the current source is controlled based on information from the monitoring means to correct a change in the light emitting characteristic of the light emitting element. Item 10. An organic thin film EL display device according to Item 1.   The organic thin film EL display device according to claim 2, further comprising a correcting unit that corrects a change in the light emission characteristic of the light emitting element, wherein the correction unit adjusts a change in display characteristics such as a luminance characteristic and a color balance. .   A correction unit that corrects a change in the light emission characteristic of the light emitting element is provided, and a power loss in the drive circuit is suppressed by adjusting a change in display characteristics such as a luminance characteristic and a color balance by the correction unit. 4. The organic thin film EL display device according to any one of 2 and 3.   In a driving method of an organic thin film EL display device in which an XY matrix type organic thin film EL display device having a light emitting layer made of at least an organic material is driven by a current source connected to a voltage source of a driving voltage VCC, the constant current of the current source A driving method of an organic thin-film EL display device, characterized in that the output is controlled with a pulse width corresponding to the gradation of the pixel to perform gradation control of the pixel.   And a means for monitoring a voltage-current characteristic of the light emitting element, wherein the constant current value of the current source is controlled based on information from the monitoring means to correct a change in the light emitting characteristic of the light emitting element. Item 6. A driving method of an organic thin film EL display device according to Item 5.   7. The organic thin film EL display device according to claim 6, further comprising a correcting unit that corrects a change in the light emission characteristic of the light emitting element, and adjusting a change in display characteristics such as a luminance characteristic and a color balance by the correcting unit. Driving method.   A correction unit that corrects a change in the light emission characteristic of the light emitting element is provided, and a power loss in the drive circuit is suppressed by adjusting a change in display characteristics such as a luminance characteristic and a color balance by the correction unit. 8. A driving method of an organic thin film EL display device according to any one of 6 and 7.

Images