Display panel compensation device and method

Abstract

A display panel compensation device and method are disclosed. The display panel compensation device includes a photographing unit, a computing unit and a fusion unit. The photographing unit is used for perform a general photography on a display panel. The computing unit is coupled to the photographing unit and used to obtain a general compensation data according to a result of the general photography. The fusion unit is coupled to the computing unit and used to fuse the general compensation data and a low-frequency compensation characteristic data into a final compensation data. The low-frequency compensation characteristic data is obtained according to a result of a second photography performed on the display panel in a demura startup mode.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to display panels, and in particular to a display panel compensation device and method. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Since the brightness unevenness (Mura) phenomenon on the display panel can seriously affect the user's viewing experience and may also hinder the performance or function of the display device, it is necessary to eliminate the Mura on the display panel. Traditionally, the brightness unevenness (Demura) compensation technology applied to display panels is to compensate the uncompensated display panel PL (as shown in Figure 1A) by generating a general Demura compensation value based on the image data obtained by photographing the display panel screen.

[0003] However, as shown in Figure 1B, the display panel PL after general Demura compensation may still retain low-frequency Mura. The possible reasons include, but are not limited to, the following:

[0004] (1) Due to errors in the shooting environment of the machine, a portion of low-frequency Mura is introduced;

[0005] (2) The display panel after general Demura compensation may generate new low-frequency Mura due to load changes and other reasons;

[0006] (3) The display panel may experience specific bending / deformation, for example, the display panel PL in Figure 1C has a concave bending point U in the center, which causes the light emission angle of L to change, resulting in low-frequency mura; and

[0007] (4) If the display panel adopts the Tandem architecture, due to its panel characteristics, low-frequency mura may still remain after the first Demura compensation.

[0008] In detail, the Tandem architecture connects multiple traditional OLED devices in series to form a high-efficiency tandem OLED structure. Figures 2A and 2B illustrate schematic diagrams of OLED light-emitting layers with single-layer and double-layer structures, respectively. In low-brightness conditions, single-layer OLED light-emitting layers are prone to unevenness between pixels, and display panels using the Tandem architecture, which connects multiple OLED devices in series, are more likely to amplify this unevenness. Especially in low-brightness conditions, the current is lower, and the efficiency differences between the red light-emitting unit R, green light-emitting unit G, and blue light-emitting unit B in the OLED light-emitting layer are greater, making it easier to cause color unevenness in the display effect.

[0009] Therefore, the aforementioned problems encountered by the prior art still need to be further resolved. [Summary of the Invention]

[0010] The present invention provides a display panel compensation device and method to effectively solve the above-mentioned problems encountered in the prior art.

[0011] A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a display panel compensation device. In this embodiment, the display panel compensation device includes an imaging unit, a calculation unit, and a fusion unit. The imaging unit is used to perform a general image capture of the display panel. The calculation unit is coupled to the imaging unit and is used to obtain general compensation data based on the results of the general image capture. The fusion unit is coupled to the imaging unit and is used to fuse the general compensation data and low-frequency compensation feature data into final compensation data. The low-frequency compensation feature data is obtained based on the results of a second image capture of the display panel in Demura startup mode.

[0012] In one embodiment, the display panel compensation device further includes a low-frequency compensation extraction template for obtaining low-frequency compensation feature data.

[0013] In one embodiment, the low-frequency compensation extraction template is obtained by taking a general picture of the screen of the sampling display panel by the shooting unit, obtaining general compensation data by the calculation unit based on the result of the general picture, and in Demura startup mode, taking a second picture of the screen by the shooting unit, and obtaining low-frequency compensation feature data by the calculation unit based on the result of the second picture.

[0014] In one embodiment, the fusion unit fuses general compensation data and low-frequency compensation feature data into final compensation data through an addition mode or a multiplication mode.

[0015] In one embodiment, the fusion unit receives general compensation data, low-frequency compensation feature data and the frame rate / display brightness value (DBV) of the display panel, and generates final compensation data based on the general compensation data, low-frequency compensation feature data and the frame rate / DBV of the display panel.

[0016] Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is a display panel compensation method. In this embodiment, the display panel compensation method includes the following steps: (a) taking a general photograph of the display panel to obtain general compensation data; (b) taking a secondary photograph of the display panel in Demura startup mode to obtain low-frequency compensation feature data; (c) fusing the general compensation data and the low-frequency compensation feature data into final compensation data; and (d) compensating the display panel with the final compensation data.

[0017] In one embodiment, step (b) includes the following steps: obtaining low-frequency compensation feature data through a low-frequency compensation extraction template.

[0018] In one embodiment, obtaining low-frequency compensation feature data through the low-frequency compensation extraction template includes: sampling the screen; taking a general picture of the screen to obtain general compensation data; and taking a second picture of the screen in Demura startup mode to obtain low-frequency compensation feature data.

[0019] In one embodiment, step (c) is to fuse general compensation data and low-frequency compensation feature data into final compensation data through an addition mode or a multiplication mode.

[0020] In one embodiment, step (c) is to receive general compensation data, low-frequency compensation feature data and the frame rate / DBV of the display panel respectively, and generate final compensation data based on the general compensation data, low-frequency compensation feature data and the frame rate / DBV of the display panel.

[0021] Compared to prior art, the display panel compensation device and method proposed in this invention perform a second image capture after completing general Demura compensation, and then fuse the low-frequency components of the data into the original compensation tool template to perform batch compensation for low-frequency Mura. Therefore, even if the display panel retains low-frequency Mura due to various factors such as machine shooting environment errors, load changes, display panel bending / deformation, or the use of a Tandem architecture, the display panel compensation device and method proposed in this invention can effectively eliminate the residual low-frequency Mura on the display panel, thereby improving the user's viewing experience.

Implementation Method

[0022] A preferred embodiment of the present invention is a display panel compensation device. In this embodiment, the display panel compensation device is used to perform Demura compensation on the display panel, especially to effectively eliminate the low-frequency Mura that remains after general Demura compensation on the display panel. It should be noted that the display panel compensated by the display panel compensation device in this embodiment can be a display panel with any type, form, defect, or applied to any device, such as a display panel with a central concave bend, a display panel using a Tandem architecture employing multiple OLED devices in series, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0023] Please refer to Figure 3, which illustrates a schematic diagram of the display panel compensation device in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the display panel compensation device 3 includes an imaging unit 30, a calculation unit 32, a fusion unit 34, and a compensation unit 36. The imaging unit 30 is coupled to the calculation unit 32. The calculation unit 32 is coupled between the imaging unit 30 and the fusion unit 34. The fusion unit 34 is coupled between the calculation unit 32 and the compensation unit 36. The compensation unit 36 ​​is coupled to the fusion unit 34.

[0024] When the shooting unit 30 takes a general picture of the display panel, the shooting unit 30 generates a general shooting result P1 and sends it to the calculation unit 32. The calculation unit 32 receives the general shooting result P1 from the shooting unit 30 and calculates general compensation data C1 based on the general shooting result P1 and sends it to the fusion unit 34.

[0025] Next, in Demura startup mode, the imaging unit 30 takes a second picture of the display panel to generate a second picture result P2 and sends it to the calculation unit 32. The calculation unit 32 receives the second picture result P2 from the imaging unit 30 and calculates the low-frequency compensation feature data C2 based on the second picture result P2 and sends it to the fusion unit 34.

[0026] The fusion unit 34 receives general compensation data C1 and low-frequency compensation feature data C2 respectively, and performs fusion processing on the general compensation data C1 and low-frequency compensation feature data C2 to generate final compensation data F, which is provided to the compensation unit 36 ​​to compensate the display panel, thereby effectively eliminating the residual low-frequency mura on the display panel.

[0027] Please refer to Figure 4, which illustrates a schematic diagram of a display panel compensation device in another embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the display panel compensation device 4 includes an imaging unit 40, a calculation unit 42, a fusion unit 44, a low-frequency compensation extraction template 46, and a compensation unit 48. The imaging unit 40 is coupled to the calculation unit 42. The calculation unit 42 is coupled between the imaging unit 40 and the fusion unit 44. The fusion unit 44 is coupled to the calculation unit 42, the low-frequency compensation extraction template 46, and the compensation unit 48. The low-frequency compensation extraction template 46 is coupled to the fusion unit 44. The compensation unit 48 is coupled to the fusion unit 44.

[0028] When the shooting unit 40 performs a general shooting of the display panel, the shooting unit 40 generates a general shooting result P1 and sends it to the calculation unit 42. The calculation unit 42 receives the general shooting result P1 from the shooting unit 40 and calculates general compensation data C1 based on the general shooting result P1 and sends it to the fusion unit 44. The low-frequency compensation extraction template 46 extracts low-frequency compensation feature data C2 and sends it to the fusion unit 44.

[0029] The fusion unit 44 receives general compensation data C1 and low-frequency compensation feature data C2 respectively, and performs fusion processing on general compensation data C1 and low-frequency compensation feature data C2 to generate final compensation data F, which is provided to the compensation unit 48 to compensate the display panel, thereby effectively eliminating the residual low-frequency mura on the display panel.

[0030] In practical applications, the low-frequency compensation extraction template 46 can obtain low-frequency compensation feature data C2 in advance through the following steps: sampling the screen of the display panel; the shooting unit 40 takes a general picture of the screen to generate a general shooting result P1; the calculation unit 42 calculates the general compensation data C1 based on the general shooting result P1; in Demura startup mode, the shooting unit 40 takes a second picture of the screen to generate a second shooting result P2; and the calculation unit 42 calculates the low-frequency compensation feature data C2 based on the second shooting result P2, but is not limited thereto.

[0031] It should be noted that when the calculation unit 42 calculates the low-frequency compensation feature data C2 based on the secondary shooting result P2, the calculation unit 42 may choose to use methods such as median filtering, mean filtering, Gaussian kernel function filtering, etc. to filter out unwanted mid-to-high frequency data and retain the desired low-frequency compensation feature data C2, but is not limited to this.

[0032] For example, mean filtering is a type of linear filtering. Its principle is to calculate the average value of pixels in a window area, and then set the average value calculated in the window as the pixel value at the anchor point. When the calculation unit 42 uses mean filtering to filter out mid-to-high frequency data, the size of the kernel used for filtering can be selected according to the debugging effect. Assuming that the period of the low-frequency compensation feature data C2 to be retained is T, in principle, the kernel size should satisfy the condition that the kernel size < T. Then, the calculation unit 42 uses the designed kernel to perform a convolution operation on the image to obtain the low-frequency compensation feature data C2 after filtering out mid-to-high frequency data, but it is not limited to this.

[0033] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG5, the fusion unit 44 may receive general compensation data C1, low frequency compensation feature data C2 and the frame rate / DBV C3 of the display panel respectively, and generate final compensation data F according to the general compensation data C1, low frequency compensation feature data C2 and the frame rate / DBV C3 of the display panel, but is not limited thereto.

[0034] Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is a display panel compensation method. In this embodiment, the display panel compensation method is used to perform Demura compensation on the display panel, especially to effectively eliminate the low-frequency Mura that remains after general Demura compensation on the display panel. It should be noted that the display panel compensated by the display panel compensation method of this embodiment can be a display panel with any type, form, defect or applied to any device, such as a display panel with a central concave bend, a display panel with a Tandem architecture using multiple OLED devices in series, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0035] Please refer to Figure 6, which illustrates a flowchart of the display panel compensation method in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, the display panel compensation method includes the following steps:

[0036] Step S10: Take a general photo of the display panel to obtain general compensation data;

[0037] Step S12: Take a second picture of the display panel in Demura startup mode to obtain low frequency compensation feature data;

[0038] Step S14: Fuse the general compensation data and the low-frequency compensation feature data into the final compensation data; and

[0039] Step S16: Compensate the display panel with the final compensation data.

[0040] Please also refer to Figure 7, which illustrates a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the display panel compensation method corresponding to Figure 6. As shown in Figure 7, the display panel compensation method first performs a general photograph of the display panel and generates general compensation data based on the general photograph results. Next, the display panel compensation method performs a second photograph of the screen in Demura startup mode and generates low-frequency compensation feature data based on the second photograph results. Then, the display panel compensation method performs a fusion calculation on the general compensation data and the low-frequency compensation feature data to generate final compensation data.

[0041] Referring to Figure 8, in another embodiment, the display panel compensation method includes the following steps:

[0042] Step S20: Take a general photo of the display panel to obtain general compensation data;

[0043] Step S22: Sampling screen;

[0044] Step S24: Take a general photo of the screen to obtain general compensation data;

[0045] Step S26: Take a second picture of the screen in Demura startup mode to obtain low frequency compensation feature data;

[0046] Step S28: Fuse the general compensation data and the low-frequency compensation feature data into the final compensation data; and

[0047] Step S29: Compensate the display panel with the final compensation data.

[0048] It should be noted that, as shown in the dashed box, the display panel compensation method performs steps S22 to S26 to obtain low-frequency compensation feature data through the low-frequency compensation extraction template.

[0049] Please also refer to Figure 9, which illustrates a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the display panel compensation method corresponding to Figure 8. As shown in Figure 9, the display panel compensation method performs a general photograph of the mass-produced screen and generates general compensation data based on the general photograph results. The low-frequency compensation extraction template performs a general photograph of the sampled screen and generates general compensation data based on the general photograph results. Then, it performs a second photograph of the screen in Demura startup mode to obtain low-frequency compensation feature data. The display panel compensation method performs a fusion calculation on the general compensation data and the low-frequency compensation feature data provided by the low-frequency compensation extraction template to generate final compensation data.

[0050] In practical applications, general compensation data and low-frequency compensation feature data can be fused into final compensation data through addition or multiplication. For example, as shown in Figure 10, when general compensation data (offset) and low-frequency compensation feature data (offset_low) are fused into final compensation data (Comp_Data) through addition, the final compensation data Comp_Data_R, Comp_Data_G, and Comp_Data_B corresponding to red (R), green (G), and blue (B) are as follows: Comp_Data_R = Offset_R + Offset_Low_R x Gain_R Comp_Data_G = Offset_G + Offset_Low_G x Gain_G Comp_Data_B = Offset_B + Offset_Low_B x Gain_B Among them, Offset_R, Offset_G, and Offset_B are the general compensation data corresponding to red (R), green (G), and blue (B), respectively; Offset_Low_R, Offset_Low_G, and Offset_Low_B are the low-frequency compensation characteristic data corresponding to red (R), green (G), and blue (B), respectively; and Gain_R, Gain_G, and Gain_B are the gain values ​​corresponding to red (R), green (G), and blue (B), respectively.

[0051] When the general compensation data (offset) and the low-frequency compensation feature data (offset_low) are fused into the final compensation data (Comp_Data) through a multiplication mode, the final compensation data Comp_Data_R, Comp_Data_G, and Comp_Data_B corresponding to red (R), green (G), and blue (B) are as follows: Comp_Data_R = Offset_R x Offset_Low_R x Gain_R Comp_Data_G = Offset_G x Offset_Low_G x Gain_G Comp_Data_B = Offset_B x Offset_Low_B x Gain_B.

[0052] As can be seen from the above, when the uncompensated display panel PL in Figure 1A is compensated by the display panel compensation device and method of the present invention, the low-frequency Mura remaining on the display panel PL after general Demura compensation in Figure 1B can be effectively eliminated, and it becomes the display panel PL without any Mura residue as shown in Figure 11.

[0053] Compared to prior art, the display panel compensation device and method proposed in this invention perform a second image capture after completing general Demura compensation, and then fuse the low-frequency components of the data into the original compensation tool template to perform batch compensation for low-frequency Mura. Therefore, even if the display panel retains low-frequency Mura due to various factors such as machine shooting environment errors, load changes, display panel bending / deformation, or the use of a Tandem architecture, the display panel compensation device and method proposed in this invention can effectively eliminate the residual low-frequency Mura on the display panel, thereby improving the user's viewing experience. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0054] Figure 1A shows a schematic diagram of an uncompensated display panel.

[0055] Figure 1B illustrates a schematic diagram of a conventional display panel that still retains low-frequency mura after general demura compensation.

[0056] Figure 1C illustrates a schematic diagram of low-frequency mura caused by the change in the light emission angle due to the central concave curvature of a conventional display panel.

[0057] Figures 2A and 2B respectively illustrate schematic diagrams of OLED light-emitting layers with single-layer and double-layer structures.

[0058] Figure 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a display panel compensation device in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] Figure 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a display panel compensation device in another specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] Figure 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of the fusion unit generating the final compensation data based on general compensation data, low-frequency compensation feature data, and the frame rate / DBV of the display panel.

[0061] Figure 6 illustrates a flowchart of a display panel compensation method in another specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0062] FIG7 illustrates a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the display panel compensation method corresponding to FIG6.

[0063] Figure 8 illustrates a flowchart of a display panel compensation method in another specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] FIG9 illustrates a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the display panel compensation method corresponding to FIG8.

[0065] Figure 10 illustrates a schematic diagram showing that the fusion method of the fusion unit can generate the final compensation data through an addition mode or a multiplication mode.

[0066] Figure 11 illustrates a schematic diagram of how residual low-frequency mura is effectively eliminated after the display panel is compensated by the compensation device and method of the present invention.

Claims

1. A display panel compensation device, comprising: The camera unit is used to take general photos of the display panel; A calculation unit, coupled to the imaging unit, is used to obtain general compensation data based on the result of the general imaging. And a fusion unit, coupled to the computing unit, for fusing the general compensation data and the low-frequency compensation feature data into the final compensation data; wherein the low-frequency compensation feature data is obtained based on the result of a second photograph of the display panel in Demura startup mode.

2. The display panel compensation device as described in claim 1 further includes: The low-frequency compensation extraction template is used to obtain the low-frequency compensation feature data.

3. The display panel compensation device as described in claim 2, wherein the low-frequency compensation extraction template is obtained by sampling the screen of the display panel, taking a general photograph of the screen by the imaging unit, obtaining the general compensation data by the calculation unit based on the result of the general photograph, taking a secondary photograph of the screen by the imaging unit in the Demura startup mode, and calculating the low-frequency compensation feature data by the calculation unit based on the result of the secondary photograph.

4. The display panel compensation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fusion unit fuses the general compensation data and the low-frequency compensation feature data into the final compensation data through an addition mode or a multiplication mode.

5. The display panel compensation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fusion unit receives the general compensation data, the low-frequency compensation feature data, and the frame rate / display brightness value (DBV) of the display panel, and generates the final compensation data based on the general compensation data, the low-frequency compensation feature data, and the frame rate / DBV of the display panel.

6. A display panel compensation method, comprising the following steps: (a) taking a general photograph of the display panel to obtain general compensation data; (b) taking a secondary photograph of the display panel in Demura startup mode to obtain low-frequency compensation feature data; (c) fusing the general compensation data and the low-frequency compensation feature data into final compensation data; and (d) compensating the display panel with the final compensation data.

7. The display panel compensation method as described in claim 6, wherein step (b) comprises: Low-frequency compensation feature data is obtained by extracting templates through low-frequency compensation.

8. The display panel compensation method as described in claim 7, wherein obtaining the low-frequency compensation feature data through the low-frequency compensation extraction template includes: Sampling screen; The screen is photographed in this way to obtain the general compensation data; And in the Demura startup mode, the screen is photographed a second time to obtain the low-frequency compensation feature data.

9. The display panel compensation method as described in claim 6, wherein step (c) is to fuse the general compensation data and the low-frequency compensation feature data into the final compensation data through an addition mode or a multiplication mode.

10. The display panel compensation method as claimed in claim 6, wherein step (c) involves receiving the general compensation data, the low-frequency compensation feature data, and the frame rate / DBV of the display panel, respectively, and generating the final compensation data based on the general compensation data, the low-frequency compensation feature data, and the frame rate / DBV of the display panel.

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