OLED lighting apparatus, OLED lighting driving apparatus, and method thereof

Abstract

To provide an OLED lighting device capable of reducing luminance unevenness without using an auxiliary electrode, an OLED lighting drive device included in the OLED lighting device, and an OLED lighting drive method.SOLUTION: An OLED lighting device Sa according to one embodiment of the present invention includes, for example, an OLED panel 1a including first and second electrodes and a planar organic light emitting layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, a constant current power supply 21, and a power supply control section 22a for controlling power supplied from the constant current power supply 21 to the OLED panel 1a. The first and second electrodes in the OLED panel 1a each include a plurality of terminal parts to which power controlled by the power supply control section 22a is supplied, the terminal parts comprising a plurality of pairs. The power supply control section 22a supplies the power to the plurality of terminal parts while switching between the plurality of pairs.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an OLED lighting device including a surface-emitting OLED panel, an OLED lighting driving device provided in the OLED lighting device, and an OLED lighting driving method.

Background Art

[0002] OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode), also called organic EL (Organic ElectroLuminescence), has been studied and developed for applications to, for example, display devices and lighting devices in recent years because it is relatively thin, light, and has low power consumption. When an OLED panel using such an OLED attempts to emit surface light over a relatively large area, for example, the specific resistance of a transparent electrode such as ITO is large, so the luminance decreases as the distance from the power supply point increases due to the voltage drop, resulting in luminance unevenness. In order to improve this luminance unevenness, for example, there are techniques disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.

[0003] The organic electroluminescence lighting device disclosed in this Patent Document 1 includes a pair of electrode layers including a translucent electrode layer provided on a translucent substrate, at least one organic layer including a light-emitting layer sandwiched between the pair of electrode layers, and an auxiliary electrode provided in contact with a part of the translucent electrode layer on the translucent electrode layer.

[0004] The light-emitting device disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a first electrode provided on a substrate, a layer containing a light-emitting organic compound provided on the first electrode, an island-shaped insulating layer provided on the layer containing the light-emitting organic compound, an island-shaped auxiliary electrode layer provided on the insulating layer, and a second electrode having translucency to visible light provided on the layer containing the light-emitting organic compound and on the auxiliary electrode layer.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-91667 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-28393 (Japanese Patent No. 6093423) [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, when auxiliary electrodes are used, as in the technologies disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, these auxiliary electrodes become visible on the light-emitting surface side. In particular, when an OLED panel using such auxiliary electrodes is used for machine vision illumination, shadows caused by the auxiliary electrodes are cast on the illuminated subject, and these shadows are reflected in the image of the subject. This shadow may lead to misrecognition.

[0007] This invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an OLED lighting device that can reduce brightness unevenness without using auxiliary electrodes, as well as an OLED lighting drive device and an OLED lighting drive method provided in the OLED lighting device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] As a result of various studies, the inventors have found that the above objective can be achieved by the present invention as described below. That is, an OLED lighting device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an OLED panel having first and second electrodes and a planar organic light-emitting layer disposed between the first and second electrodes, a power supply and a power control unit that controls the power supplied from the power supply to the OLED panel, wherein the first and second electrodes in the OLED panel are provided with a plurality of terminals consisting of a plurality of pairs to which power controlled by the power control unit is supplied, and the power control unit supplies the power to the plurality of terminals while switching between the plurality of pairs. Preferably, in the above-described OLED lighting device, the power control unit supplies the power to the plurality of terminals while switching between the plurality of pairs by switching the on-time for supplying the power to each pair between the plurality of pairs. Preferably, in the above-described OLED lighting device, the power control unit changes the two terminals that form a pair.

[0009] Such an OLED lighting device supplies power to multiple terminals by switching between multiple pairs, and by switching between these multiple pairs so that the OLED panel emits light uniformly, brightness unevenness can be reduced without using auxiliary electrodes.

[0010] In another embodiment, in the OLED lighting device described above, the power control unit adjusts the amount of power between the multiple pairs. Preferably, in the OLED lighting device described above, the power control unit supplies power to the multiple terminals while switching between the multiple pairs by switching the on-time for supplying power to each pair, and adjusts the amount of power between the multiple pairs by adjusting the on-time.

[0011] For example, due to variations in OLED panel production, even if the same amount of power is supplied to each pair, a gradient-like unevenness in brightness may occur. The above-mentioned OLED lighting device adjusts the amount of power supplied between multiple pairs, thereby improving the unevenness in brightness.

[0012] In another embodiment, in the OLED lighting device described above, the power control unit performs the switching such that the off-time during which power is not supplied to any of the plurality of pairs of terminals is shorter than the discharge completion time until the charge stored in the parasitic capacitance of the OLED panel is completely discharged.

[0013] Since OLED panels have a capacitor structure with an organic light-emitting layer between the first and second electrodes, they generally have parasitic capacitance and do not emit light until charge accumulates in the parasitic capacitance. The OLED lighting device performs switching such that the off time is shorter than the discharge completion time, so it can emit light continuously.

[0014] In another embodiment, in the OLED lighting device described above, the OLED panel further includes a storage unit that stores energy information representing each energy amount of the power supplied to each of the plurality of pairs, associating it with each of the plurality of pairs, and further includes a reading unit that reads the energy information stored as association with each of the plurality of pairs from the storage unit, and the power control unit adjusts the energy amount of the power between the plurality of pairs so that it matches the energy amount represented by the energy information read by the reading unit.

[0015] Since such OLED lighting devices store power information in the OLED panel, there is no need to manufacture a reading unit, power supply, and power control unit for each OLED panel, and the labor required to adjust the control of the power control unit to suit each OLED panel is eliminated.

[0016] In another embodiment, in the OLED lighting device described above, the OLED panel further comprises a storage unit that stores pair information representing a pair of terminals among the plurality of terminals for each of the plurality of pairs, and stores energy quantity information representing each energy quantity of the power supplied to each of the plurality of pairs in association with each of the plurality of pairs, and further comprises a reading unit that reads the plurality of pair information stored for each of the plurality of pairs from the storage unit, and reads the energy quantity information stored in association with each of the plurality of pairs, and the power control unit adjusts the amount of power between each pair represented by the plurality of pair information read by the reading unit so that the amount of power is represented by each energy quantity represented by the energy quantity information read by the reading unit.

[0017] Such OLED lighting devices store data and power consumption information in the OLED panel, eliminating the need to manufacture a reading unit, power supply, and power control unit for each OLED panel. This also eliminates the need to adjust the terminal combination and the power control unit's operation for each OLED panel.

[0018] Another embodiment of the present invention is an OLED lighting driving device for driving an OLED panel comprising first and second electrodes having a plurality of terminal portions in a plurality of pairs to which power is supplied, and a planar organic light-emitting layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the device comprising a power supply and a power control unit that controls the power supplied from the power supply to the OLED panel, the power control unit supplies the power to the plurality of terminal portions while switching between the plurality of pairs.

[0019] Another aspect of the present invention relates to an OLED lighting driving method, which is a method for driving an OLED panel comprising first and second electrodes having a plurality of terminal portions in a plurality of pairs to which power is supplied, and a planar organic light-emitting layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the method comprising a power supply control step for controlling the power supplied from a power source to the OLED panel, the power supply control step for supplying the power to the plurality of terminal portions while switching between the plurality of pairs.

[0020] According to these, an OLED lighting driving device and an OLED lighting driving method provided in the above-described OLED lighting device can be provided.

Advantages of the Invention

[0021] The OLED lighting device according to the present invention can reduce luminance unevenness without using an auxiliary electrode. According to the present invention, an OLED lighting driving device and an OLED lighting driving method provided in the OLED lighting device can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of an OLED lighting device in an embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a diagram for explaining an OLED panel in the OLED lighting device. [Figure 3] It is a diagram for explaining luminance uniformity. [Figure 4] As an example, it is a diagram showing the results of examples and comparative examples. [Figure 5] It is a circuit diagram of a constant current power supply used in the above examples and comparative examples. [Figure 6] It is a diagram for explaining a modified OLED panel. [Figure 7] It is a diagram for explaining an OLED lighting device in a first modified form. [Figure 8] It is a diagram for explaining an OLED lighting device in a second modified form.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] Hereinafter, one or more embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. In each figure, components denoted by the same reference numerals are identified as identical components, and their descriptions are omitted where appropriate. In this specification, general reference numerals are used without subscripts, while individual components are indicated by subscripts.

[0024] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an OLED lighting device in an embodiment. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the OLED panel in the OLED lighting device. Figure 2A is a perspective view of the OLED panel, Figure 2B is an exploded perspective view of the OLED panel, and Figure 2C is a cross-sectional view of the OLED panel. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the uniformization of brightness. In Figure 3, the horizontal axis is the X-axis, which extends from one end of the OLED panel to the other, and the vertical axis is brightness.

[0025] In this embodiment, the OLED lighting device Sa is a device equipped with a surface-emitting OLED panel, and for example, as shown in Figure 1, it comprises an OLED panel 1a, a constant current power supply 21, and a power control unit 22a. In this embodiment, the constant current power supply 21 and the power control unit 22a constitute an OLED lighting driver device 2a that drives the OLED panel 1a, and the OLED lighting device Sa further comprises a cable CBa connecting the OLED lighting driver device 2a and the OLED panel 1a. Note that the OLED panel 1a and the OLED lighting driver device 2a are configured as a single unit, and the cable CBa may be omitted.

[0026] The OLED panel 1a comprises, for example, first and second electrodes 12 and 16, and a planar organic light-emitting layer 14 disposed between the first electrode 12 and the second electrode 16, as shown in Figure 2. More specifically, in this embodiment, the OLED panel 1a comprises an optical substrate 11, a first electrode 12, a hole transport layer 13, an organic light-emitting layer 14, an electron transport layer 15, and a second electrode 16.

[0027] The optical substrate 11 is a support member that supports the first electrode 12, hole transport layer 13, organic light-emitting layer 14, electron transport layer 15, and second electrode 16, which are sequentially laminated on it. The optical substrate 11 is made of a material that transmits at least the light emitted by the organic light-emitting layer 14, such as resin or glass. The optical substrate 11 is formed in a plate-like (layered) shape, such as a right-angled quadrilateral (rectangular or square) or circular shape. In the examples shown in Figures 1 and 2, the optical substrate 11 has a right-angled quadrilateral shape when viewed from above.

[0028] The first and second electrodes 12 and 16, working in pairs, are components that supply power from an external source to the organic light-emitting layer 14. In this embodiment, the first electrode 12 is the anode electrode (+ electrode, positive electrode) and is laminated in a planar manner on the other main surface of the optical substrate 11. In this embodiment, since the light emitted by the organic light-emitting layer 14 is emitted from the side of the first electrode 12, the first electrode 12 is formed of a transparent conductive compound (transparent electrode material) such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide), or ZnO (Zinc Oxide) that at least transmits the light emitted by the organic light-emitting layer 14. The light emitted in a planar manner by the organic light-emitting layer 14 is emitted from the one main surface of the optical substrate 11 that faces the outside. In this embodiment, the second electrode 16 is a cathode electrode (-electrode, negative electrode) and is laminated planarly on the organic light-emitting layer 14 via an electron transport layer 15 so as to face the first electrode 12 via the organic light-emitting layer 14. In this embodiment, in order to reflect the light emitted by the organic light-emitting layer 14 toward the first electrode 12, the second electrode 16 is formed of a metal (including alloys) that at least reflects the light emitted by the organic light-emitting layer 14, such as silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), or aluminum (Al). In addition, in order to radiate the light emitted by the organic light-emitting layer 14 from both sides, the second electrode 16 may also be formed of the transparent electrode material described above.

[0029] The hole transport layer 13 is a component that gradually lowers the energy barrier between the first electrode 12 and the organic light-emitting layer 14, as OLEDs do not have the concept of junctions as inorganic LEDs, and is formed planarly on the first electrode 12. Similarly, the electron transport layer 15 is a component that gradually lowers the energy barrier between the organic light-emitting layer 14 and the second electrode 16, and is formed planarly on the organic light-emitting layer 14. In order to efficiently induce light emission through the recombination of holes and electrons, the hole transport layer 13 is formed of a suitable material such that its ionization energy is intermediate between the work function of the anode (first electrode 12) and the ionization energy of the organic light-emitting layer 14, and the electron transport layer 15 is formed of a suitable material such that its electron affinity is intermediate between the work function of the cathode (second electrode 16) and the electron affinity of the organic light-emitting layer 14.

[0030] The organic light-emitting layer 14 is laminated planarly on the first electrode 12 via a hole transport layer 13, and is a component that emits light by organic electroluminescence when power is supplied by a pair of first and second electrodes 12 and 16.

[0031] In the above description, the OLED panel 1a was configured as a laminated structure of a first electrode 12 / hole transport layer 13 / organic light-emitting layer 14 / electron transport layer 15 / second electrode 16. However, for example, it may be configured as a laminated structure further comprising a hole injection layer between the first electrode 12 and the hole transport layer 13, or for example, a laminated structure further comprising an electron injection layer between the electron transport layer 15 and the second electrode 16, or for example, a laminated structure in which the hole transport layer 13 is omitted, or for example, a laminated structure in which the electron transport layer 15 is omitted, or for example, a laminated structure combining these. Furthermore, the organic light-emitting layer 14 may be multilayered to increase the amount of light.

[0032] In this embodiment, the first and second electrodes 12 and 16 are provided with multiple pairs of terminals to which power controlled by the power supply control unit 22a is supplied. Each pair of terminals consists of a positive terminal and a negative terminal. In the example shown in Figure 2, the first electrode 12 has four first to fourth terminals 12-1 to 12-4 in a roughly L-shape in a plan view, extending outward from its outer edge in the same plane at each of the four corners of its right-angled quadrilateral shape (square shape in the example shown in Figure 2) in a plan view. The second electrode 16 has four first to fourth terminals 16-1 to 16-4 in a right-angled quadrilateral shape in a plan view, extending outward from its outer edge in the same plane at approximately the center of each of the four sides of its right-angled quadrilateral shape (square shape in the example shown in Figure 2) in a plan view. Specifically, the first terminal portion 16-1 is located between the third terminal portion 12-3 and the fourth terminal portion 12-4 of the first electrode 12, and is positioned opposite the first and second terminal portions 12-1 and 12-2 of the first electrode 12. The second terminal portion 16-2 is located between the first terminal portion 12-1 and the second terminal portion 12-2 of the first electrode 12, and is positioned opposite the third and fourth terminal portions 12-3 and 12-4 of the first electrode 12. Therefore, the first terminal portion 16-1 and the second terminal portion 16-2 of the second electrode are formed on opposite sides. The third terminal portion 16-3 is located between the second terminal portion 12-2 and the fourth terminal portion 12-4 of the first electrode 12, and is positioned opposite the first and third terminal portions 12-1 and 12-3 of the first electrode 12. The fourth terminal portion 16-4 is located between the first terminal portion 12-1 and the third terminal portion 12-3 of the first electrode 12, and is positioned opposite the second and fourth terminal portions 12-2 and 12-4 of the first electrode 12. Therefore, the third terminal portion 16-3 and the fourth terminal portion 16-4 of the second electrode 16 are formed on opposite sides. Here, the terminal portions 12-1 to 12-4 of the first electrode 12 and the terminal portions 16-1 to 16-4 of the second electrode 16 are spaced apart in a plane normal to the stacking direction so that they do not overlap in the stacking direction. The same applies to the OLED panel described later.

[0033] In this embodiment, the third and fourth terminal portions 16-3 and 16-4 of the second electrode 16 are not used, the first and second terminal portions 12-1 and 12-2 of the first electrode 12 and the first terminal portion 16-1 of the second electrode 16 are paired (first pair, first channel CH1), the first and second terminal portions 12-1 and 12-2 of the first electrode 12 are the first positive electrode CH1+ of the first pair CH1, and the first terminal portion 16- of the second electrode 16 Terminal 1 is the first negative electrode CH1- of the first pair CH1, the third and fourth terminals 12-3 and 12-4 of the first electrode 12 and the second terminal 16-2 of the second electrode 16 are paired (second pair, second channel CH2), the third and fourth terminals 12-3 and 12-4 of the first electrode 12 are the second positive electrode CH2+ of the second pair CH2, and the second terminal 16-2 of the second electrode 16 is the second negative electrode CH2- of the second pair CH2. These multiple terminals 12-1 to 12-4, 16-1, and 16-2 are arranged such that the other poles of the other pairs are adjacent to each other. For example, the first terminal 12-1 of the first electrode 12, which is the first positive electrode CH1+ of the first pair CH1, is adjacent to the second terminal 16-2 of the second electrode 16, which is the second negative electrode CH2- of the second pair CH2. In order to supply more power to the organic light-emitting layer 14, the terminals 12-1 to 12-4 of the first electrode 12 and the terminals 16-1 and 16-2 of the second electrode 16 are combined such that, in one pair, the length of each terminal portion 12-1 to 12-4 of the positive electrode that contacts the first electrode 12 is longer than the length of each terminal portion 16-1 and 16-2 of the negative electrode that contacts the second electrode 16.

[0034] Furthermore, for purposes such as moisture protection and oxidation prevention, sealing members may be provided to seal the first electrode 12, hole transport layer 13, organic light-emitting layer 14, electron transport layer 15, and second electrode 16 in cooperation with the optical substrate 11.

[0035] Cable CBa is wiring that connects the OLED lighting driver 2a and the OLED panel 1a, and is configured with paired wires (power lines and ground lines) corresponding to the number of pairs in the plurality of terminal sections 12-1 to 12-4, 16-1, and 16-2. In this embodiment, the number of pairs is 2, so as shown in Figure 1, cable CBa comprises a first paired wire 3-1 for the first pair CH1 and a second paired wire 3-2 for the second pair CH2. The power line of the first paired wire 3-1 is connected to the first and second terminal sections 12-1 and 12-2 of the first electrode 12, and the ground line of the first paired wire 3-1 is connected to the first terminal section 16-1 of the second electrode 16. The power line of the second paired wire 3-2 is connected to the third and fourth terminal sections 12-3 and 12-4 of the first electrode 12, and the ground line of the second paired wire 3-2 is connected to the second terminal section 16-2 of the second electrode 16. Furthermore, the grounding wire for the first pair of wires 3-1 and the grounding wire for the second pair of wires 3-2 may be used interchangeably.

[0036] The constant current power supply 21 is a power supply circuit that generates and outputs a constant current in order to cause the OLED panel 1a to emit light from its surface. In this embodiment, the constant current power supply 21 not only includes a constant current circuit, but also a switching circuit and the like to switch the power supplied to the multiple terminals between multiple pairs according to the control signal of the power supply control unit 22a, and is configured by known and common means.

[0037] The power control unit 22a is a circuit that controls the power supplied to the OLED panel 1a from the constant current power supply 21 via the cable CBa, and supplies the power to the plurality of terminals while switching between the plurality of pairs at the plurality of terminals. More specifically, for example, the power control unit 22a supplies the power to the plurality of terminals while switching between the plurality of pairs by switching the on time for supplying the power to each pair. Since the OLED panel has a capacitor structure with an organic light-emitting layer between the first and second electrodes, it generally has parasitic capacitance and does not emit light until charge accumulates in the parasitic capacitance. For this reason, the power control unit 22a performs the switching such that the off time during which no power is supplied to any of the plurality of terminals is shorter than the discharge completion time until the charge stored in the parasitic capacitance of the OLED panel is completely discharged. It is preferable that the off time during which no power is supplied to any of the plurality of terminals is shorter. In the example shown in Figures 1 and 2, the power control unit 22a supplies power to the plurality of terminals 12-1 to 12-4, 16-1, and 16-2 via cable CBa by switching between the first and second pairs of CH1 and CH2, thereby supplying power to the first pair of CH1 for a first on-time and supplying power to the second pair of CH2 for a second on-time. Such a power control unit 22a is configured to include, for example, a programmable logic device (PLD) or a microcomputer.

[0038] In an OLED lighting device Sa with this configuration, when the lighting switch (not shown in the figure) is turned on, the power control unit 22a first supplies power at a constant current with predetermined current and voltage values ​​to the terminals 12-1, 12-2, and 16-1 of the first pair CH1 via the first pair wire 3-1 of cable CBa, while outputting a control signal to the constant current power supply 21 to control the constant current power supply 21, so as to prevent power from being supplied to the terminals 12-3, 12-4, and 16-2 of the second pair CH2, for a predetermined first on time set in advance. As a result, as shown in Figure 2, when the X-axis of the OLED panel 1a is set in the direction from the first and second terminals 12-1 and 12-2 of the first electrode 12 toward the first terminal 16-1 of the second electrode 16, the voltage drop across the transparent electrode used in the first electrode 12 causes the panel to emit surface light such that the brightness gradually decreases from the first and second terminals 12-1 and 12-2 of the first electrode 12 toward the first terminal 16-1 of the second electrode 16, as shown in Figure 3. Next, switching is performed in a time sufficiently shorter than the discharge completion time, and the power control unit 22a outputs a control signal to the constant current power supply 21 to supply the power to the terminals 12-3, 12-4, and 16-2 of the second pair CH2 via the second pair wire 3-2 of cable CBa for a second on time equal to the first on time, while not supplying power to the terminals 12-1, 12-2, and 16-1 of the first pair CH1, thereby controlling the constant current power supply 21. As a result, the OLED panel 1a emits surface light in such a way that the brightness gradually decreases from the third and fourth terminals 12-3 and 12-4 of the first electrode 12 to the second terminal 16-2 of the second electrode 16, for example, as shown in Figure 3, due to the voltage drop across the transparent electrode used in the first electrode 12. These operations are repeated until the aforementioned power switch (not shown in the figure) is turned off. As a result, the decrease in brightness in the surface emission of the first pair CH1 is covered by the surface emission of the second pair CH2, and the decrease in brightness in the surface emission of the second pair CH2 is covered by the surface emission of the first pair CH1, so that the OLED panel 1a can emit surface light with substantially uniform brightness, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 3.

[0039] In this embodiment, the OLED lighting device Sa supplies power to multiple terminals by switching between multiple pairs of terminals. By switching between these multiple pairs so that the OLED panel 1a emits light uniformly, brightness unevenness can be reduced without using auxiliary electrodes.

[0040] The OLED lighting device Sa described above can emit light continuously because it performs switching such that the off time is shorter than the discharge completion time.

[0041] According to the above embodiment, an OLED lighting drive device 2a provided in the above-mentioned OLED lighting device Sa and an OLED lighting drive method implemented therein can be provided.

[0042] Next, examples and comparative examples will be described. Figure 4 shows the results of an example and a comparative example. Figure 4A shows the results of the first example, Figure 4B shows the results of the comparative example, Figure 4C shows the results of the second example, and Figure 4D shows the results of the third example. In Figures 4A to 4D, the whiter the color, the higher the brightness, and the blacker the color, the lower the brightness. Figure 5 is a circuit diagram of the constant current power supply used in the above examples and comparative examples.

[0043] As shown in Figure 5, this constant current power supply CIS comprises a constant current circuit SC, six first to sixth MOS transistors Tr1, Tr2, Tr11, Tr12, Tr21, and Tr22, twelve first to twelfth resistors R1 to R4, R11 to R14, and R21 to R24, and two first and second signal terminals Tm1 and Tm2.

[0044] The constant current circuit SC is connected between the power line SL and the ground line (not shown in the diagram). The power line SL (the output terminal of the constant current circuit SC) is connected in series to the first and second resistors R1 and R2, the first MOS transistor Tr1, the third and fourth resistors R3 and R4, and the second MOS transistor Tr2. The source terminal of the first MOS transistor Tr1 is connected to the power line SL, its gate terminal is connected to the connection point between the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2, and its drain terminal is connected to the first and second terminal sections 12-1 and 12-2, which are the first positive terminal CH1+ of the first pair CH1. The source terminal of the second MOS transistor Tr2 is connected to the power line SL, its gate terminal is connected to the connection point between the third resistor R3 and the fourth resistor R4, and its drain terminal is connected to the third and fourth terminal sections 12-3 and 12-4, which are the second positive terminal CH2+ of the second pair CH2.

[0045] The first signal terminal Tm1 receives a first control signal for switching and is connected to the third MOS transistor Tr11 via the fifth resistor R11 at its gate terminal, and also to the fourth MOS transistor Tr12 via the seventh resistor R13 at its gate terminal. The sixth resistor R12 is connected between the gate and source terminals of the third MOS transistor Tr11, and its drain terminal is connected to the second resistor R2. That is, the drain terminal of the third MOS transistor Tr11 is connected to the gate terminal of the first MOS transistor Tr1 via the second resistor R2. Therefore, the first MOS transistor Tr1 is controlled and driven by the control signal input to the first signal terminal Tm1. The source terminal of the third MOS transistor Tr11 is grounded. The eighth resistor R14 is connected between the gate and source terminals of the fourth MOS transistor Tr12, and its drain terminal is connected to the first terminal section 16-1, which is the first negative pole CH1- of the first pair CH1, and its source terminal is grounded.

[0046] The second signal terminal Tm2 receives the second control signal for switching and is connected to the fifth MOS transistor Tr21 via the ninth resistor R21 at its gate terminal, and to the sixth MOS transistor Tr22 via the eleventh resistor R23 at its gate terminal. The tenth resistor R22 is connected between the gate and source terminals of the fifth MOS transistor Tr21, and its drain terminal is connected to the fourth resistor R4. That is, the drain terminal of the fifth MOS transistor Tr21 is connected to the gate terminal of the second MOS transistor Tr2 via the fourth resistor R4. Therefore, the second MOS transistor Tr2 is controlled and driven by the control signal input to the second signal terminal Tm2. The source terminal of the fifth MOS transistor Tr21 is grounded. A 12th resistor R24 ​​is connected between the gate terminal and source terminal of the 6th MOS transistor Tr22. Its drain terminal is connected to the second terminal section 16-2, which is the second negative electrode CH2+ of the second pair CH2, and its source terminal is grounded.

[0047] The on / off states of the pulses in the first and second control signals are inverted relative to each other.

[0048] In the first embodiment, as described above, the OLED panel 1a was lit by alternately supplying power to the first and second pairs CH1 and CH2 with the same first and second on-times in a repeating cycle.

[0049] In the comparative example, power was supplied simultaneously to the first and second pairs CH1 and CH2 to illuminate the OLED panel 1a.

[0050] As can be seen by comparing the results of the first embodiment shown in Figure 4A with the results of the comparative example shown in Figure 4B, in the comparative example, power is supplied from both sides opposite each other, so the brightness near the center of the OLED panel 1a is lower than the brightness near the aforementioned sides, resulting in brightness unevenness in the OLED panel 1a. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, in the lower half when viewed from above, although the brightness on the left side is slightly lower than the brightness on the right side when viewed from above, the OLED panel 1a emits light with a nearly uniform brightness, and brightness unevenness is reduced. In this first embodiment, the upper half when viewed from above has low brightness and is dark. This was presumed to be due to non-uniformity in one of the layers 12 to 16 of the OLED panel 1a due to product variations, etc.

[0051] Therefore, in the second embodiment, the OLED panel 1a was rotated by 90 degrees. That is, the first and second terminal portions 16-1 and 16-2 of the second electrode 16 were not used, and the first and third terminal portions 12-1 and 12-3 of the first electrode 12 and the third terminal portion 16-3 of the second electrode 16 were used as the first pair CH1, and the second and fourth terminal portions 12-2 and 12-4 of the first electrode 12 and the fourth terminal portion 16-4 of the second electrode 16 were used as the second pair CH2. Similar to the first embodiment, the OLED panel 1a was lit by alternately supplying power to the first and second pairs CH1 and CH2 with the same first and second on times in the repeating cycle. The result is shown in Figure 4C. As shown in Figure 4C, in a plan view, the brightness unevenness from top to bottom is reduced, but the brightness gradually decreases from the right side to the left side, resulting in brightness unevenness from left to right.

[0052] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the amount of power was adjusted between multiple pairs. That is, in this third embodiment, the power control unit 22a adjusts the amount of power between the multiple pairs. Preferably, the power control unit 22a supplies power to the multiple terminals while switching between the multiple pairs by switching the on-time for supplying power to each pair, and adjusts the amount of power between the multiple pairs by adjusting the on-time. In the second embodiment shown in Figure 4C, the brightness of the first pair CH1 is relatively high, and the brightness of the second pair CH2 is relatively low. For this reason, in the third embodiment, at the switching repetition period T, the first on-time of the first pair CH1 is set to 25% (=0.25 × T), and the second on-time of the second pair CH2 is set to 75% (=0.75 × T). This result is shown in Figure 4D. As shown in Figure 4D, brightness unevenness between the left and right sides is also reduced, and the OLED panel 1a can emit light with nearly uniform brightness across its entire surface.

[0053] For example, due to product variations in OLED panels, even if the same amount of power is supplied to each pair, a gradient-like unevenness in brightness may occur, as shown in Figure 4C. However, as described above, the OLED lighting device Sa can improve this unevenness in brightness by adjusting the amount of power supplied between the multiple pairs by the power supply control unit. In the above embodiment, the amount of power supplied between the multiple pairs is stored in advance in the power supply control unit 22a in association with each pair and set accordingly.

[0054] In the above-described embodiment, the OLED lighting device Sa is configured with an OLED panel 1a having a right-angled quadrilateral shape with two first and second pairs of CH1 and CH2, but is not limited to this and may be configured with various OLED panels. For example, OLED panels 100, 200, 300, and 400 in the first to fourth modified forms shown in Figure 6 may be used. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the modified forms of OLED panels. Figure 6A is a diagram illustrating the OLED panel 100 in the first modified form, Figure 6B is a diagram illustrating the OLED panel 200 in the second modified form, Figure 6C is a diagram illustrating the OLED panel 300 in the third modified form, and Figure 6D is a diagram illustrating the OLED panel 400 in the fourth modified form. In Figures 6A to 6D, only the first and second electrodes are shown, and the optical substrate, organic light-emitting layer, etc., are omitted from the illustration.

[0055] As shown in Figure 6A, the OLED panel 100 in the first modified form comprises first and second electrodes 101 and 102, and a planar organic light-emitting layer (not shown) disposed between the first electrode 101 and the second electrode 102. The first electrode 101 is an anode electrode and is formed in a planar manner from a transparent electrode material with a right-angled quadrilateral shape (square shape in the example shown in Figure 6A) in a planar view. The second electrode 102 is a cathode electrode and is formed in a planar manner from metal with a right-angled quadrilateral shape (square shape in the example shown in Figure 6A) in a planar view. The first and second electrodes 101 and 102 are provided with multiple terminal portions consisting of multiple pairs, with positive and negative electrodes in pairs. More specifically, the first electrode 101 has a right-angled quadrilateral shape in plan view, with a total of eight first to eighth terminal portions 101-1 to 101-8, with two terminal portions extending outward in the same plane from the outer edge, leaving a central portion open, on each of the four sides of the right-angled quadrilateral shape in plan view. The second electrode 102 has four first to fourth terminal portions 102-1 to 102-4 in a right-angled quadrilateral shape in plan view, extending outward in the same plane from its outer edge, at approximately the center position of each of the four sides of the right-angled quadrilateral shape in plan view, that is, at positions corresponding to the central portion of the first electrode 101. Specifically, the first terminal portion 102-1 is located between the fifth terminal portion 101-5 and the sixth terminal portion 101-6 of the first electrode 101, and is positioned opposite the first and second terminal portions 101-1 and 101-2 of the first electrode 101. The second terminal portion 102-2 is located between the first terminal portion 101-1 and the second terminal portion 101-2 of the first electrode 101, and is positioned opposite the fifth and sixth terminal portions 101-5 and 101-6 of the first electrode 101. Therefore, the first terminal portion 102-1 and the second terminal portion 102-2 of the second electrode 102 are formed on opposite sides of each other. The third terminal portion 102-3 is located between the seventh terminal portion 101-7 and the eighth terminal portion 101-8 of the first electrode 101, and is positioned opposite the third and fourth terminal portions 101-3 and 101-4 of the first electrode 101.The fourth terminal portion 102-4 is located between the third terminal portion 101-3 and the fourth terminal portion 101-4 of the first electrode 101, and is positioned opposite the seventh and eighth terminal portions 101-7 and 101-8 of the first electrode 101. Therefore, the third terminal portion 102-3 and the fourth terminal portion 102-4 of the second electrode 102 are formed on opposite sides of each other. The first and second terminal portions 101-1 and 101-2 of the first electrode 101 and the first terminal portion 102-1 of the second electrode 102 are paired (first pair, first channel CH1), the fifth and sixth terminal portions 101-5 and 101-6 of the first electrode 101 and the second terminal portion 102-2 of the second electrode 102 are paired (second pair, second channel CH2), the third and fourth terminal portions 101-3 and 101-4 of the first electrode 101 and the third terminal portion 102-3 of the second electrode 102 are paired (third pair, third channel CH3), and the seventh and eighth terminal portions 101-7 and 101-8 of the first electrode 101 and the fourth terminal portion 102-4 of the second electrode 102 are paired (fourth pair, fourth channel CH4). The first and second terminal portions 101-1 and 101-2 of the first electrode 101 are the first positive electrode CH1+ of the first pair CH1, the first terminal portion 102-1 of the second electrode 102 is the first negative electrode CH1- of the first pair CH1, the fifth and sixth terminal portions 101-5 and 101-6 of the first electrode 101 are the second positive electrode CH2+ of the second pair CH2, and the second terminal portion 102-2 of the second electrode 102 is the second negative electrode CH2- of the second pair CH2. The third and fourth terminal portions 101-3 and 101-4 of the first electrode 101 are the third positive electrode CH3+ of the third pair CH3, the third terminal portion 102-3 of the second electrode 102 is the third negative electrode CH3- of the third pair CH3, the seventh and eighth terminal portions 101-7 and 101-8 of the first electrode 101 are the fourth positive electrode CH4+ of the fourth pair CH4, and the fourth terminal portion 102-4 of the second electrode 102 is the fourth negative electrode CH4- of the fourth pair CH4.The power control unit 22a supplies power to the plurality of terminals 101-1 to 101-8 and 102-1 to 102-4 via cable CBa by switching between the first to fourth pairs CH1 to CH4, thereby supplying power to the first to fourth pairs CH1 to CH4 for a first on time, supplying power to the second pair CH2 for a second on time, supplying power to the third pair CH3 for a third on time, and supplying power to the fourth pair CH4 for a fourth on time.

[0056] In this first modified form of the OLED panel 100, only the first and second pairs CH1 and CH2 may be used, or only the third and fourth pairs CH3 and CH4 may be used.

[0057] As shown in Figure 6B, the OLED panel 200 in the second modified form comprises first and second electrodes 201 and 202, and a planar organic light-emitting layer (not shown) disposed between the first electrode 201 and the second electrode 202. In other words, the OLED panel 200 in the second modified form has the same structure as the OLED panel 1a described above, but with a different pair configuration. More specifically, the first electrode 201 has the same structure as the first electrode 12, and its first to fourth terminal portions 201-1 to 201-4 correspond to the first to fourth terminal portions 12-1 to 12-4. The second electrode 202 has the same structure as the second electrode 16, and its first to fourth terminal portions 202-1 to 202-4 correspond to the first to fourth terminal portions 16-1 to 16-4.

[0058] The first terminal portion 201-1 of the first electrode 201 and the first and third terminal portions 202-1 and 202-3 of the second electrode 202 are paired (first pair, first channel CH1), the second terminal portion 201-2 of the first electrode 201 and the first and fourth terminal portions 202-1 and 202-4 of the second electrode 202 are paired (second pair, second channel CH2), the third terminal portion 201-3 of the first electrode 201 and the second and third terminal portions 202-2 and 202-3 of the second electrode 202 are paired (third pair, third channel CH3), and the fourth terminal portion 201-4 of the first electrode 201 and the second and fourth terminal portions 202-2 and 202-4 of the second electrode 202 are paired (fourth pair, fourth channel CH4). The first terminal portion 201-1 of the first electrode 201 is the first positive electrode CH1+ of the first pair CH1, the first and third terminal portions 202-1 and 202-3 of the second electrode 202 are the first negative electrode CH1- of the first pair CH1, the second terminal portion 201-2 of the first electrode 201 is the second positive electrode CH2+ of the second pair CH2, and the first and fourth terminal portions 202-1 and 202-4 of the second electrode 202 are the second negative electrode CH2- of the second pair CH2. The third terminal portion 201-3 of the first electrode 201 is the third positive electrode CH3+ of the third pair CH3, the second and third terminal portions 202-2 and 202-3 of the second electrode 202 are the third negative electrode CH3- of the third pair CH3, the fourth terminal portion 201-4 of the first electrode 201 is the fourth positive electrode CH4+ of the fourth pair CH4, and the second and fourth terminal portions 202-2 and 202-4 of the second electrode 202 are the fourth negative electrode CH4- of the fourth pair CH4. The power control unit 22a supplies power to the plurality of terminals 201-1 to 201-4 and 202-1 to 202-4 via cable CBa by switching between the first to fourth pairs CH1 to CH4, thereby supplying power to the first to fourth pairs CH1 to CH4 for a first on time, supplying power to the second pair CH2 for a second on time, supplying power to the third pair CH3 for a third on time, and supplying power to the fourth pair CH4 for a fourth on time.

[0059] In addition, in the OLED panel 200 in this second modified form, pairs may be set as follows. The first and second terminal portions 201-1 and 201-2 of the first electrode 201 and the first terminal portion 202-1 of the second electrode 202 are paired (first pair, first channel CH1), the second and fourth terminal portions 201-2 and 201-4 of the first electrode 201 and the fourth terminal portion 202-4 of the second electrode 202 are paired (second pair, second channel CH2), the fourth and third terminal portions 201-4 and 201-3 of the first electrode 201 and the second terminal portion 202-2 of the second electrode 202 are paired (third pair, third channel CH3), and the third and first terminal portions 201-3 and 201-1 of the first electrode 201 and the third terminal portion 202-3 of the second electrode 202 are paired (fourth pair, fourth channel CH4). The first and second terminal portions 201-1 and 201-2 of the first electrode 201 are the first positive electrode CH1+ of the first pair CH1, the first terminal portion 202-1 of the second electrode 202 is the first negative electrode CH1- of the first pair CH1, the second and fourth terminal portions 201-2 and 201-4 of the first electrode 201 are the second positive electrode CH2+ of the second pair CH2, and the fourth terminal portion 202-4 of the second electrode 202 is the second negative electrode CH2- of the second pair CH2. The fourth and third terminal portions 201-4 and 201-3 of the first electrode 201 are the third positive electrode CH3+ of the third pair CH3, the second terminal portion 202-2 of the second electrode 202 is the third negative electrode CH3- of the third pair CH3, the third and first terminal portions 201-3 and 201-1 of the first electrode 201 are the fourth positive electrode CH4+ of the fourth pair CH4, and the third terminal portion 202-3 of the second electrode 202 is the fourth negative electrode CH4- of the fourth pair CH4.

[0060] As shown in Figure 6C, the OLED panel 300 in the third modified form includes first and second electrodes 301 and 302, and a planar organic light-emitting layer (not shown) disposed between the first electrode 301 and the second electrode 302. The first electrode 301 is an anode electrode and is formed in a planar shape with a rectangular shape in a transparent electrode material when viewed from above. The second electrode 302 is a cathode electrode and is formed in a planar shape with a rectangular shape in a metal material when viewed from above. The first and second electrodes 301 and 302 are provided with multiple terminal portions consisting of multiple pairs, with positive and negative electrodes as pairs. More specifically, the first electrode 301 has a total of six first to sixth terminal portions 301-1 to 301-6, each of the two long sides of the rectangular shape when viewed from above, extending outward in the same plane from the outer peripheral end at a predetermined interval from one end to the other. The second electrode 302 has a rectangular shape in plan view, and in each of its two long sides, it has a total of four first to fourth terminals 302-1 to 302-4, which extend outward in the same plane from its outer edge, corresponding to the positions between the terminals 301-1 to 301-6 of the first electrode 101. Specifically, on the other long side of the two long sides, the first terminal 302-1 is located between the fourth and fifth terminals 301-4 and 301-5 of the first electrode 301, and the second terminal 302-2 is located between the fifth and sixth terminals 301-5 and 301-6 of the first electrode 301, and is positioned opposite the first to third terminals 301-1 to 301-3 of the first electrode 301. Therefore, the first to third terminal portions 301-1 to 301-3 of the first electrode 301 and the first and second terminal portions 302-1 and 302-2 of the second electrode 302 are formed on opposite sides. On one of the two long sides, the third terminal portion 302-3 is located between the first and second terminal portions 301-1 and 301-2 of the first electrode 301, and the fourth terminal portion 302-4 is located between the second and third terminal portions 301-2 and 301-3 of the first electrode 301, and is also positioned opposite the fourth to sixth terminal portions 301-4 to 301-6 of the first electrode 301.Therefore, the fourth to sixth terminal portions 301-4 to 301-6 of the first electrode 301 and the third and fourth terminal portions 302-3 and 302-4 of the second electrode 302 are formed on opposite sides. The first to third terminal portions 301-1 to 301-3 of the first electrode 301 and the first and second terminal portions 302-1 and 302-2 of the second electrode 102 are paired (first pair, first channel CH1), the fourth to sixth terminal portions 301-4 to 301-6 of the first electrode 101 and the third and fourth terminal portions 302-3 and 302-4 of the second electrode 302 are paired (second pair, second channel CH2), and the first to third terminals of the first electrode 301 Sub-parts 301-1 to 301-3 are the first positive electrode CH1+ of the first pair CH1, the first and second terminal parts 302-1 and 302-2 of the second electrode 302 are the first negative electrode CH1- of the first pair CH1, the fourth to sixth terminal parts 301-4 to 301-6 of the first electrode 301 are the second positive electrode CH2+ of the second pair CH2, and the third and fourth terminal parts 302-3 and 302-4 of the second electrode 302 are the second negative electrode CH2- of the second pair CH2. The power control unit 22a supplies the power to the plurality of terminals 301-1 to 301-6 and 302-1 to 302-4 via cable CBa by switching between the first and second pairs CH1 and CH2, thereby switching between the first and second pairs CH1 and CH2, and the first on-time for supplying the power to the first pair CH1 and CH2, and the second on-time for supplying the power to the second pair CH2.

[0061] As shown in Figure 6D, the OLED panel 400 in the fourth modified form comprises first and second electrodes 401 and 402, and a planar organic light-emitting layer (not shown) disposed between the first electrode 401 and the second electrode 402. The first electrode 401 is an anode electrode and is formed in a circular, planar shape from a transparent electrode material in a planar view. The second electrode 402 is a cathode electrode and is formed in a circular, planar shape from metal in a planar view. The first and second electrodes 401 and 402 are provided with multiple terminal portions consisting of multiple pairs, with positive and negative electrodes as pairs. More specifically, the first electrode 401 is provided with four first to fourth terminal portions 401-1 to 401-4 in an arc shape in a planar view, extending outward from the outer peripheral end in the same plane at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. The first and third terminal portions 401-1 and 401-3 are positioned to face each other in the radial direction, and the second and fourth terminal portions 401-2 and 401-4 are positioned to face each other in the radial direction. The second electrode 402 has four arc-shaped first to fourth terminal portions 402-1 to 402-4 that extend outward in the same plane from its outer peripheral end at positions corresponding to the terminal portions 401-1 to 401-4 of the first electrode 401. Specifically, the first terminal portion 402-1 is located between the first and second terminal portions 401-1 and 401-2 of the first electrode 401, the second terminal portion 402-2 is located between the second and third terminal portions 401-2 and 401-3 of the first electrode 401, the third terminal portion 402-3 is located between the third and fourth terminal portions 401-3 and 401-4 of the first electrode 401, and the fourth terminal portion 402-4 is located between the fourth and first terminal portions 401-4 and 401-1 of the first electrode 401. The first and third terminal portions 402-1 and 402-3 are positioned to face each other in the radial direction, and the second and fourth terminal portions 402-2 and 402-4 are positioned to face each other in the radial direction.

[0062] The first terminal portion 401-1 of the first electrode 401 and the second and third terminal portions 402-2 and 402-3 of the second electrode 402 are paired (first pair, first channel CH1), the second terminal portion 401-2 of the first electrode 401 and the third and fourth terminal portions 402-3 and 402-4 of the second electrode 402 are paired (second pair, second channel CH2), the third terminal portion 401-3 of the first electrode 401 and the fourth and first terminal portions 402-4 and 402-1 of the second electrode 402 are paired (third pair, third channel CH3), and the fourth terminal portion 401-4 of the first electrode 401 and the first and second terminal portions 402-1 and 402-2 of the second electrode 402 are paired (fourth pair, fourth channel CH4). The first terminal portion 401-1 of the first electrode 401 is the first positive electrode CH1+ of the first pair CH1, the second and third terminal portions 402-2 and 402-3 of the second electrode 402 are the first negative electrode CH1- of the first pair CH1, the second terminal portion 401-2 of the first electrode 401 is the second positive electrode CH2+ of the second pair CH2, and the third and fourth terminal portions 402-3 and 402-4 of the second electrode 402 are the second negative electrode CH2- of the second pair CH2. The third terminal portion 401-3 of the first electrode 401 is the third positive electrode CH3+ of the third pair CH3, the fourth and first terminal portions 402-4 and 402-1 of the second electrode 402 are the third negative electrode CH3- of the third pair CH3, the fourth terminal portion 401-4 of the first electrode 401 is the fourth positive electrode CH4+ of the fourth pair CH4, and the first and second terminal portions 402-1 and 402-2 of the second electrode 402 are the fourth negative electrode CH4- of the fourth pair CH4. The power control unit 22a supplies power to the plurality of terminals 201-1 to 201-4 and 202-1 to 202-4 via cable CBa by switching between the first to fourth pairs CH1 to CH4, thereby supplying power to the first to fourth pairs CH1 to CH4 for a first on time, supplying power to the second pair CH2 for a second on time, supplying power to the third pair CH3 for a third on time, and supplying power to the fourth pair CH4 for a fourth on time.

[0063] In addition, in the OLED panel 400 in this fourth modified form, pairs may be set as follows. The first and second terminal portions 401-1 and 401-2 of the first electrode 401 and the third terminal portion 202-3 of the second electrode 402 are paired (first pair, first channel CH1), the second and third terminal portions 401-2 and 401-3 of the first electrode 401 and the fourth terminal portion 402-4 of the second electrode 402 are paired (second pair, second channel CH2), the third and fourth terminal portions 401-3 and 401-4 of the first electrode 401 and the first terminal portion 402-1 of the second electrode 402 are paired (third pair, third channel CH3), and the fourth and first terminal portions 401-4 and 401-1 of the first electrode 401 and the second terminal portion 402-2 of the second electrode 402 are paired (fourth pair, fourth channel CH4). The first and second terminal portions 401-1 and 401-2 of the first electrode 401 are the first positive electrode CH1+ of the first pair CH1, the third terminal portion 402-3 of the second electrode 402 is the first negative electrode CH1- of the first pair CH1, the second and third terminal portions 401-2 and 401-3 of the first electrode 401 are the second positive electrode CH2+ of the second pair CH2, and the fourth terminal portion 402-4 of the second electrode 402 is the second negative electrode CH2- of the second pair CH2. The third and fourth terminal portions 401-3 and 401-4 of the first electrode 401 are the third positive electrode CH3+ of the third pair CH3, the first terminal portion 402-1 of the second electrode 402 is the third negative electrode CH3- of the third pair CH3, the fourth and first terminal portions 401-4 and 401-1 of the first electrode 401 are the fourth positive electrode CH4+ of the fourth pair CH4, and the second terminal portion 402-2 of the second electrode 402 is the fourth negative electrode CH4- of the fourth pair CH4.

[0064] In the embodiments and their variations described above, the number of pairs was two or four, but it is not limited to these and may be arbitrary. Also, in the embodiments and their variations described above, the number of pairs was even, but it may be odd. For example, an OLED panel comprises a circular first electrode with first to third terminal portions of an approximately 90-degree arc provided circumferentially from the outer edge at intervals of approximately 30 degrees, and a circular second electrode with first to third terminal portions provided circumferentially from the outer edge at each approximately 30-degree opening of the first electrode, the first terminal portion of the first electrode and the first terminal portion of the second electrode positioned to face each other radially, the second terminal portion of the first electrode and the second terminal portion of the second electrode positioned to face each other radially, and the third terminal portion of the first electrode and the third terminal portion of the second electrode positioned to face each other radially. Furthermore, the first terminal portion of the first electrode and the first terminal portion of the second electrode are paired (first pair, first channel CH1), the second terminal portion of the first electrode and the second terminal portion of the second electrode are paired (second pair, second channel CH2), and the third terminal portion of the first electrode and the third terminal portion of the second electrode are paired (third pair, third channel CH3). This constitutes an OLED panel with three pairs.

[0065] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the amount of power adjusted between the multiple pairs was pre-stored in the power control unit 22a in association with each pair, but it may also be pre-stored in the OLED panel, as in the OLED lighting devices Sb and Sc in the following first and second modified embodiments.

[0066] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the OLED lighting device in the first modified form. Figure 7A is a block diagram showing the configuration of the OLED lighting device Sb in the first modified form, and Figure 7B is a diagram showing the first energy information table TBb stored in the OLED panel 1b. Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the OLED lighting device in the second modified form. Figure 8A is a block diagram showing the configuration of the OLED lighting device Sc in the second modified form, and Figure 8B is a diagram showing the second energy information table TBc stored in the OLED panel 1c.

[0067] In the first modified form, the OLED lighting device Sb comprises, for example, an OLED panel 1b, an OLED lighting driver 2b, and a cable CBb, as shown in Figure 7A.

[0068] Cable CBb is a wiring that connects the OLED panel 1b and the OLED lighting driver 2b, and in addition to the components 3-1 and 3-2 of the OLED panel 1a in the above embodiment, it further includes a communication line 4. The communication line 4 is a wire that transmits communication signals between the OLED panel 1b and the OLED lighting driver 2b. Note that the communication line 4 may be used interchangeably with the first pair line 3-1 or the second pair line 3-2, and may be omitted. In this case, it may be used in a time-division manner so that power is supplied after communication, and communication may be carried out by so-called power line carrier communication.

[0069] The OLED panel 1b is a device that emits surface light by organic electroluminescence, and in addition to the components 11 to 16 of the OLED panel 1a in the above-described embodiment, it further includes a storage unit 17b and a reading unit 18b.

[0070] The storage unit 17b is a circuit that stores energy information representing each energy amount of the power supplied to each of the multiple pairs, associating it with each of the multiple pairs. More specifically, as shown in Figure 7B, for example, a first energy information table TBb is stored in the storage unit 17b, which registers the energy information DT1 and DT2 associated with each pair CH1 and CH2. In the third embodiment described above using Figure 4, DT1 is 25% and DT2 is 75%. Since each pair CH1 and CH2 is connected to the first and second pair wires 3-1 and 3-2 in cable CBb, respectively, the first energy information table TBb may use codes (identifiers) 3-1 and 3-2 representing the first and second pair wires instead of codes (identifiers) CH1 and CH2 representing the first and second pairs. The memory unit 17b is configured to include an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), which is a rewritable, non-volatile memory element, and its peripheral circuits.

[0071] The reading unit 18b is connected to both the storage unit 17b and the communication line 4 of the cable CBb, and is a device that transmits each power quantity information stored in the storage unit 17b to the OLED lighting driver 2b in correspondence with each pair, in response to the reading signal from the OLED lighting driver 2b. The reading unit 18b is configured, for example, with a USB interface circuit and its peripheral circuits.

[0072] The OLED lighting driver 2b is a device that drives the OLED panel 1b, and includes, for example, a constant current power supply 21, a power supply control unit 22b, and a reading unit 23b. The constant current power supply 21 is the same as the constant current power supply of the OLED lighting driver 2a described above, so its description is omitted.

[0073] The reading unit 23b is connected to the communication line 4 of cable CBb and the power control unit 22b, respectively, and is a device that reads each of the power quantity information stored in association with each of the multiple pairs from the storage unit 17b of the OLED panel 1b. For example, the reading unit 23b is configured to include a USB interface circuit and its peripheral circuits in correspondence with the reading unit 18b, and transmits a read signal to the reading unit 18b via the communication line 4 of cable CBb to instruct the reading of power quantity information, receives each of the power quantity information associated with each of the multiple pairs from the reading unit 18b, and thereby reads each of the power quantity information stored in association with each of the multiple pairs from the storage unit 17b.

[0074] The power control unit 22b, like the power control unit 22a, is a circuit that controls the power supplied from the constant current power supply 21 to the OLED panel 1b via the cable CBb, and supplies the power to the plurality of terminals by switching between multiple pairs at the plurality of terminals. In this embodiment, the power control unit 22b further adjusts the amount of power between the multiple pairs so that it matches the amount of power represented by the power amount information read by the reading unit 23b. In the example shown in Figure 7B, DT1 is read as the energy of the first pair CH1, and DT2 is read as the energy of the second pair CH2. The power control unit 22b switches between the first and second pairs CH1 and CH2 between a first on-time for supplying the power to the first pair CH1 and a second on-time for supplying the power to the second pair CH2. By switching between the first and second pairs CH1 and CH2, the power is supplied to the plurality of terminals 12-1 to 12-4, 16-1, and 16-2 via cable CBa. The power is adjusted between the first and second pairs CH1 and CH2 by adjusting the first on-time so that the energy during this first on-time is DT1, and the energy during this second on-time so that is DT2.

[0075] In this first modified form, the OLED lighting device Sb stores power information in the OLED panel 1b, eliminating the need to manufacture a reading unit, constant current power supply, and power control unit (OLED lighting driver) for each OLED panel, and eliminating the need to adjust the control of the power control unit for each OLED panel to match that OLED panel.

[0076] In the second modified form, the OLED lighting device Sc comprises, for example, an OLED panel 1c, an OLED lighting driver 2c, and a cable CBc, as shown in Figure 8A.

[0077] Cable CBc is a wiring that connects the OLED panel 1c and the OLED lighting driver 2c, and comprises multiple wires 5 connected to each terminal of the OLED panel 1c on a pole-by-pole basis, and a communication wire 4 that transmits communication signals between the OLED panel 1c and the OLED lighting driver 2c. In the example shown in Figure 8A, the OLED panel 1c comprises the components 11 to 16 of the OLED panel 1a in the embodiment, as described later. The first and second terminal portions 12-1 and 12-2 of the first electrode 12 are treated as one pole, and the third and fourth terminal portions 12-3 and 12-4 of the first electrode 12 are treated as one pole. Therefore, the multiple wires 5 in the cable CBc include a first wire 5-1 connected to the first and second terminal portions 12-1 and 12-2 of the first electrode 12, a second wire 5-2 connected to the first terminal portion 16-1 of the second electrode 16, a third wire 5-3 connected to the third and fourth terminal portions 12-3 and 12-4 of the first electrode 12, and a fourth wire 5-4 connected to the second terminal portion 16-2 of the second electrode 16.

[0078] The OLED panel 1c is a device that emits surface light by organic electroluminescence, and in addition to the components 11 to 16 of the OLED panel 1a in the above-described embodiment, it further includes a storage unit 17c and a reading unit 18c.

[0079] The storage unit 17c is a circuit that stores pair information representing mutually paired terminals among the plurality of terminals for each of the plurality of terminals, and stores energy quantity information representing each energy quantity of the power supplied to each of the plurality of terminals, associating it with each of the plurality of terminals. More specifically, for example as shown in Figure 8B, a second energy quantity information table TBc is stored in the storage unit 17c, which registers pair information 12-1, 12-2(5-1) / 16-1(5-2); 12-3, 12-4(5-3) / 16-2(5-4) and energy quantity information DT1;DT2, which are associated with each pair CH1;CH2. The storage unit 17c is configured to include an EEPROM, which is a rewritable non-volatile memory element, and its peripheral circuits, etc.

[0080] The reading unit 18c is connected to both the storage unit 17c and the communication line 4 of the cable CBc, and is a device that transmits the pair information and power amount information stored in the storage unit 17c to the OLED lighting driver 2c in correspondence with each pair, in response to the reading signal from the OLED lighting driver 2c. The reading unit 18c is configured, for example, with a USB interface circuit and its peripheral circuits.

[0081] The OLED lighting driver 2c is a device that drives the OLED panel 1c, and includes, for example, a constant current power supply 21, a power supply control unit 22c, and a reading unit 23c. The constant current power supply 21 is the same as the constant current power supply of the OLED lighting driver 2a described above, so its description is omitted.

[0082] The reading unit 23c is connected to the communication line 4 of the cable CBc and the power control unit 22c, respectively, and is a device that reads the pair information and power quantity information stored in association with each of the multiple pairs from the storage unit 17c of the OLED panel 1c. For example, the reading unit 23c is configured to correspond to the reading unit 18c and includes a USB interface circuit and its peripheral circuitry, and transmits a read signal (second read signal) to the reading unit 18c via the communication line 4 of the cable CBc to instruct the reading unit 18c to read the pair information and power quantity information, and receives the pair information and power quantity information associated with each of the multiple pairs from the reading unit 18c, thereby reading the pair information and power quantity information stored in association with each of the multiple pairs from the storage unit 17c, etc.

[0083] The power control unit 22c, like the power control unit 22a, is a circuit that controls the power supplied from the constant current power supply 21 to the OLED panel 1c via the cable CBc, and supplies the power to the plurality of terminals by switching between multiple pairs at the plurality of terminals. In this embodiment, the power control unit 22c adjusts the amount of power between each pair of pair information read by the reading unit 23c so that the amount of power is represented by each power amount information read by the reading unit 23c. In the example shown in Figure 8B, 12-1 and 12-2(5-1) / 16-1(5-2) are read as the first positive electrode CH1+ and first negative electrode CH1- in the first pair CH1, and DT1 is read as the energy of the first pair CH1. In the second pair CH2, 12-3 and 12-4(5-3) / 16-2(5-4) are read as the second positive electrode CH2+ and second negative electrode CH2- in the second pair CH2, and DT2 is read as the energy of the second pair CH2. Power control unit 2 In 2c, 12-1, 12-2(5-1) / 16-1(5-2) are set as the first pair CH1, 12-1, 12-2(5-1) are set as the first positive pole CH1+ of the first pair CH1, and 16-1(5-2) is set as the first negative pole CH1- of the first pair CH1 (that is, the first wire 5-1 is set as the power line of the first pair CH1 and the second wire 5-2 is set as the ground wire of the first pair CH1), and 12-3, 12-3(5-3) / 16-2(5-4) are set as the second pair CH2. The following configurations are established: 12-3 and 12-4 (5-3) are designated as the second positive pole CH2+ of the second pair CH2, and 16-2 (5-4) is designated as the second negative pole CH2- of the second pair CH2 (i.e., the third wire 5-3 is set as the power line of the second pair CH2, and the fourth wire 5-4 is set as the ground line of the second pair CH2), and the first on-time for supplying the power to the first pair CH1 and the second on-time for supplying the power to the second pair CH2 are switched between the first and second pairs CH1 and CH2. By doing so, the power is supplied to the plurality of terminals 12-1 to 12-4, 16-1, and 16-2 via cable CBc while switching between the first and second pairs CH1 and CH2, and the amount of power supplied between the first and second pairs CH1 and CH2 is adjusted so that the amount of power supplied during the first on time becomes DT1, and the amount of power supplied during the second on time becomes DT2.

[0084] In this first modified form, the OLED lighting device Sc stores data and power information in the OLED panel 1c, eliminating the need to manufacture a reading unit, constant current power supply, and power control unit for each OLED panel. It also eliminates the need to adjust the terminal combination to match each OLED panel and the need to adjust the control of the power control unit to match each OLED panel.

[0085] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, switched power was supplied to both the anode electrode and the cathode electrode, but it is also possible to supply switched power only to the anode electrode without switching the cathode electrode.

[0086] Furthermore, although a constant current power supply was used as the power source in the above-described embodiment, a constant voltage power supply may also be used.

[0087] To illustrate the present invention, the embodiments have been adequately and fully described above with reference to the drawings. However, those skilled in the art should recognize that it is easy to modify and / or improve upon the embodiments described above. Therefore, unless such modifications or improvements implemented by those skilled in the art fall outside the scope of the claims, such modifications or improvements shall be considered to be included within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] Sa, Sb, Sc OLED lighting device; TBb First energy information table; TBc Second energy information table; 1a, 1b, 1c, 100, 200, 300, 400 OLED panel; 2a, 2b, 2c OLED lighting driver; 12, 101, 201, 301, 401 First electrode; 12-1~12-4, 201-1~201-4, 401-1~401-4 First to fourth terminals of first electrode 12, 201, 401; 101-1~101-8 First to eighth terminals of first electrode 101; 301-1~301-6 First to sixth terminals of first electrode 301; 14 Organic light-emitting layer; 16, 102, 202, 302, 402 Second electrodes: 16-1 to 16-4, 102-1 to 102-4, 202-1 to 202-4, 302-1 to 302-4, 402-1 to 402-4 First to fourth terminals of second electrodes 16, 102, 202, 302, 402: 17b, 17c Storage section: 18b, 18c Reading section: 21 Constant current power supply: 22a, 22b, 22c Power supply control section: 23b, 23c Reading section

Claims

1. The OLED panel comprises a pair of first and second electrodes, a planar organic light-emitting layer disposed between the first and second electrodes, a power supply, and a power control unit that controls the power supplied from the power supply to the OLED panel. The first and second electrodes in the OLED panel are provided with multiple pairs of terminals to which power controlled by the power control unit is supplied. The multiple terminal portions of the first electrode and the multiple terminal portions of the second electrode are arranged so as not to overlap in the stacking direction, with a predetermined spacing between them in a plane normal to the stacking direction. The pair of terminals consists of a positive terminal and a negative terminal. Each of the multiple pairs of terminals has a different combination of terminals at least partially in the negative terminal portion. The power control unit supplies the power to the plurality of terminals while switching between the plurality of pairs. OLED lighting device.

2. The power control unit adjusts the amount of power between the plurality of pairs. The OLED lighting device according to claim 1.

3. The power control unit performs the switching such that the off-time during which power is not supplied to any of the multiple pairs of terminals is shorter than the discharge completion time until the charge stored in the parasitic capacitance of the OLED panel is completely discharged. The OLED lighting device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The OLED panel further includes a storage unit that stores information representing each amount of power supplied to each of the plurality of pairs, associating it with each of the plurality of pairs. The system further includes a reading unit that reads each of the power quantity information stored in association with each of the multiple pairs from the storage unit, The power control unit adjusts the amount of power between the multiple pairs so that the amount of power is represented by the power amount information read by the reading unit. The OLED lighting device according to claim 2, or claim 3 referencing claim 2.

5. The OLED panel further includes a storage unit that stores pair information representing mutually paired terminals among the plurality of terminals, and stores energy quantity information representing each energy quantity of the power supplied to each of the plurality of pairs, associated with each of the plurality of pairs. The system further includes a reading unit that reads from the storage unit a plurality of pairs of information stored for each of the plurality of pairs, and reads each power quantity information stored in association with each of the plurality of pairs, The power control unit adjusts the amount of power between each pair of paired information read by the reading unit so that the amount of power is represented by each power amount information read by the reading unit. The OLED lighting device according to claim 2, or claim 3 referencing claim 2.

6. An OLED panel comprising a pair of first and second electrodes, each having multiple pairs of terminals to which power is supplied, and a planar organic light-emitting layer disposed between the first and second electrodes, wherein the multiple terminals of the first electrode and the multiple terminals of the second electrode are arranged so as not to overlap in the stacking direction, with a predetermined spacing in a plane normal to the stacking direction, and each pair of terminals consists of a positive terminal and a negative terminal, and each of the multiple pairs of terminals has at least some of the negative terminals in a different combination, in an OLED lighting drive device that drives the OLED panel, Power supply and The system includes a power control unit that controls the power supplied from the power supply to the OLED panel, The power control unit supplies the power to the plurality of terminals while switching between the plurality of pairs. OLED lighting driver.

7. An OLED panel comprising a pair of first and second electrodes, each having multiple pairs of terminals to which power is supplied, and a planar organic light-emitting layer disposed between the first and second electrodes, wherein the multiple terminals of the first electrode and the multiple terminals of the second electrode are arranged so as to be spaced apart in a plane normal to the stacking direction, so as not to overlap in the stacking direction, and each pair of terminals consists of a positive terminal and a negative terminal, and each of the multiple pairs of terminals has a negative terminal that is at least partially a different combination from one another, in an OLED lighting driving method for driving the OLED panel, The system includes a power supply control step that controls the power supplied from the power source to the OLED panel, The power supply control step involves supplying the power to the plurality of terminals while switching between the plurality of pairs. OLED lighting driving method.

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