Display panel, and display device and mobile terminal including same

Abstract

A display panel, and a display device and a mobile terminal including the same are provided. The display panel includes a first pixel region, a second pixel region, and a boundary pixel region therebetween. The boundary pixel area comprises a plurality of first emission areas and a plurality of second emission areas, the second pixel area comprises a plurality of emission areas, at least one second emission area is arranged between the first emission areas adjacent to each other, and the maximum brightness of the first emission areas and the maximum brightness of the second emission areas are respectively reduced and increased along with increasing of the distance from the second pixel area. A separation distance between the first emission region and an emission region of the second pixel region is constant at a boundary of the boundary pixel region and the second pixel region. Brightness of light emitted by the pixels in the first pixel area and the second emission area is defined by a first gamma compensation curve, brightness of light emitted by the pixels in the second pixel area and the first emission area is defined by a second gamma compensation curve, and maximum brightness of the second gamma compensation curve is higher than that of the first gamma compensation curve.

Description

[0001] This patent application is a divisional application of the patent application with an application date of December 7, 2022, an application number of 202211563188.1, and an invention title of "Display Panel, Display Device, and Mobile Terminal Including the Same".

[0002] Cross - reference to related applications

[0003] This application claims the priority and benefits of Korean Patent Application No. 10 - 2022 - 0054899, filed in Korea on May 3, 2022, and Korean Patent Application No. 10 - 2022 - 0079664, filed in Korea on June 29, 2022, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0004] The present disclosure relates to a display panel having an optical element disposed thereunder, a display device including the same, and a mobile terminal. Background Art

[0005] According to the material of the light - emitting layer, electroluminescent display devices are generally classified into inorganic light - emitting display devices and organic light - emitting display devices. An active - matrix organic light - emitting display device includes an organic light - emitting diode (hereinafter referred to as "OLED") that emits light by itself, and has advantages such as a fast response speed, high luminous efficiency, high brightness, and a wide viewing angle. In an organic light - emitting display device, an OLED is formed in a pixel. Since the organic light - emitting display device has a fast response speed, is excellent in terms of luminous efficiency, brightness, and viewing angle, and can present a black gradient in a completely black color, the organic light - emitting display device is excellent in both contrast and color reproducibility.

[0006] Recently, various optical elements have been added to mobile terminals. The optical elements may include sensors or lighting devices required to support multimedia functions or perform biometric identification. The optical elements may be assembled under the display panel. To expand the screen of the mobile terminal, the optical elements may be disposed in a notch area designed to be concave on the top of the screen of the display panel, or in a perforation within the screen. However, since no image is displayed in the notch area or the perforation, there are many limitations in the design of full - screen display. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Recently, a technique has been proposed to provide an area with a low pixel density in a display panel and dispose an optical element thereunder. This technique can achieve full - screen display because the optical element is placed under the area where an image is displayed, but the boundary between the area with a high pixel density and the area with a low pixel density may be visually recognized, and a feeling of non - uniformity in brightness and color between the areas may be felt.

[0008] The object of the present disclosure is to solve the above-mentioned needs and / or problems.

[0009] The present disclosure provides a display panel capable of preventing a feeling of unevenness between boundary recognition and regions having different pixel densities, and a display device and a mobile terminal including the same.

[0010] The problems of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

[0011] The display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first pixel region, a second pixel region, and a boundary pixel region disposed between the first pixel region and the second pixel region. The boundary pixel region includes a plurality of first emission regions and a plurality of second emission regions. Each of the first emission region and the second emission region includes one or more pixels. At least one of the plurality of second emission regions is disposed between adjacent first emission regions. The maximum luminance of the first emission region decreases as the distance from the second pixel region increases, and the maximum luminance of the second emission region increases as the distance from the second pixel region increases.

[0012] The display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a display panel including a first pixel region, a second pixel region, and a boundary pixel region disposed between the first pixel region and the second pixel region; and a display panel driver configured to write pixel data of an input image into pixels disposed in the pixel regions of the display panel. The second pixel region includes a plurality of unit emission regions. The boundary pixel region includes a plurality of unit emission regions. Each of the unit emission regions in the second pixel region includes an emission region and a non-emission region. Each of the unit emission regions in the boundary pixel region has the same size as the unit emission regions in the second pixel region. Each of the unit emission regions in the boundary pixel region includes a first emission region and a second emission region. The distance between the first emission regions spaced apart from each other is equal to the distance between the emission regions in the second pixel region, wherein the second emission region is interposed between the first emission regions. The maximum luminance of the first emission region decreases as the distance from the second pixel region increases, and the maximum luminance of the second emission region increases as the distance from the second pixel region increases.

[0013] A mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a display panel including a first pixel region, a second pixel region, and a boundary pixel region disposed between the first pixel region and the second pixel region; a display panel driver configured to write pixel data of an input image into pixels disposed in the pixel regions of the display panel; and an optical element disposed under the second pixel region of the display panel. The second pixel region includes a plurality of unit emission regions. The boundary pixel region includes a plurality of unit emission regions. Each of the unit emission regions in the second pixel region includes an emission region and a non-emission region. Each of the unit emission regions in the boundary pixel region has the same size as the unit emission regions in the second pixel region. Each of the unit emission regions in the boundary pixel region includes a first emission region and a second emission region. The distance between the first emission regions spaced apart from each other is equal to the distance between the emission regions in the second pixel region, wherein the second emission region is interposed between the first emission regions. The maximum luminance of the first emission region decreases as the distance from the second pixel region increases, and the maximum luminance of the second emission region increases as the distance from the second pixel region increases.

[0014] According to the present disclosure, full-screen display can be achieved because the optical module is disposed under the screen on which an image is displayed.

[0015] According to the present disclosure, by controlling the emission space period of the boundary pixel region and the second pixel region to be substantially the same, the feeling of non-uniformity in the boundary pixel region can be reduced.

[0016] According to the present disclosure, by controlling the luminance of the pixels such that the luminance of the first emission region in the boundary pixel region gradually changes between the first pixel region and the second pixel region, the feeling of non-uniformity in the pixel region can be reduced.

[0017] According to the present disclosure, by using a first gamma compensation curve and a second gamma compensation curve having different maximum luminances in the boundary pixel region to control the luminance of the first emission region and the second emission region, the color difference between pixel regions can be improved.

[0018] The effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the specification. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by referring to the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0020] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an optical element overlapping with a second pixel region of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of an optical element disposed in a second pixel region and a notch region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 4 is a diagram showing a pixel arrangement of a first pixel region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 5A and Figure 5B is a diagram showing a pixel arrangement of a boundary pixel region and a second pixel region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figures 6 to 8 is a circuit diagram showing various pixel circuits applicable to a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 9 is a diagram showing driving Figure 8 a waveform diagram of a method of the pixel circuit shown;

[0027] Figure 10 is a block diagram showing a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of applying a display device to a mobile device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 12A and Figure 12B is a plan view showing unit emission regions of a second pixel region and a boundary pixel region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figures 13 to 16 is a diagram showing various embodiments of a second pixel region UDC and a boundary pixel region BDR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 17 is a diagram showing an example in which a spatial period of a unit emission region of a boundary pixel region is the same as a spatial period of a unit emission region of a second pixel region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 18 is a diagram showing an example in which the brightness of a first emission region and a second emission region of a boundary pixel region gradually changes to be opposite to each other between a first pixel region and a second pixel region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 19A is a diagram showing an example of the area ratio between a first emission region and a second emission region in a boundary pixel region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 19B is a diagram showing an example of a method for controlling the brightness of a unit emission region as in Figure 19A according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 20A is a diagram showing another example of the area ratio between a first emission region and a second emission region in a boundary pixel region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 20B is a diagram showing an example of a method for controlling the brightness of a unit emission region as in Figure 20A according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 21 and Figure 22 is a diagram showing the effect of improving the perception of non-uniformity in a boundary pixel region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 23 is a diagram showing a comparative example in which high-brightness emission regions are adjacent to each other and low-brightness emission regions are adjacent to each other at the left boundary of a second pixel region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 24 is an enlarged view of the left boundary of a second pixel region in a simulation of the comparative example;

[0040] Figure 25 is a diagram showing a comparative example in which high-brightness emission regions are adjacent to each other and low-brightness emission regions are adjacent to each other at the upper boundary of a second pixel region;

[0041] Figure 26 is an enlarged view of the upper boundary of a second pixel region in a simulation of the comparative example;

[0042] Figure 27 is a diagram showing the effect of improving color difference in a boundary pixel region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0043] Figure 28 is a diagram showing an example of a single gamma reference voltage range and a gamma compensation curve according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Description

[0044] Advantages and features of the present disclosure and methods for implementing the same will be more clearly understood from the embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments and may be implemented in various different forms. On the contrary, the present embodiments will make the disclosure of the present disclosure complete and enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the scope of the present disclosure.

[0045] The shapes, sizes, ratios, angles, numbers, etc. shown in the drawings for describing the embodiments of the present disclosure are merely examples, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals generally denote the same elements. In addition, when describing the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of known related technologies may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0046] Terms such as "comprising", "including", "having", and "including" used herein are generally intended to allow the addition of other components, unless these terms are used together with the term "only". Any reference to the singular may include the plural unless otherwise expressly stated.

[0047] Even if not expressly stated, components are interpreted to include a normal margin of error.

[0048] When terms such as "on", "above", "below", "next to", "connected", "coupled", "crossed", "intersected", etc. are used to describe the positional relationship between two components, unless these terms are used together with the terms "immediately" or "directly", one or more components may be located between these two parts.

[0049] Terms such as "first", "second", etc. may be used to distinguish components from each other, but the functions or structures of the components are not limited by the serial numbers or component names in front of the components. These terms may not limit any order.

[0050] Throughout the present disclosure, the same reference numerals may refer to substantially the same elements.

[0051] The following embodiments may be partially or wholly joined or combined with each other and may be linked and operated in various technical ways. The embodiments may be executed independently or in association with each other.

[0052] In each display device of the present disclosure, the pixel circuit and the gate driving circuit may include a plurality of transistors. The transistors may be implemented as oxide thin film transistors (oxide TFTs) including oxide semiconductors, low temperature polysilicon (LTPS) TFTs including low temperature polysilicon, etc. Each transistor may be implemented as a p-channel TFT or an n-channel TFT.

[0053] A transistor is a three - electrode element including a gate, a source, and a drain. The source is the electrode that supplies carriers to the transistor. In a transistor, carriers start flowing from the source. The drain is the electrode through which carriers leave the transistor. In a transistor, carriers can flow from the source to the drain. In the case of an n - channel transistor, since the carriers are electrons, the source voltage is a voltage lower than the drain voltage, enabling electrons to flow from the source to the drain. The n - channel transistor has a current direction from the drain to the source. In the case of a p - channel transistor, since the carriers are holes, the source voltage is higher than the drain voltage, enabling holes to flow from the source to the drain. In a p - channel transistor, since holes flow from the source to the drain, the current flows from the source to the drain. It should be noted that the source and drain of a transistor are not fixed. For example, the source and drain can be changed according to the applied voltage. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited by the source and drain of the transistor. In the following description, the source and drain of the transistor will be referred to as the first electrode and the second electrode.

[0054] The gate signal swings between a gate - on voltage and a gate - off voltage. The gate - on voltage is set to a voltage higher than the threshold voltage of the transistor, and the gate - off voltage is set to a voltage lower than the threshold voltage of the transistor. The transistor conducts in response to the gate - on voltage and turns off in response to the gate - off voltage. In the case of an n - channel transistor, the gate - on voltage can be the gate high voltage VGH and VEH, and the gate - off voltage can be the gate low voltage VGL and VEL. In the case of a p - channel transistor, the gate - on voltage can be the gate low voltage VGL and VEL, and the gate - off voltage can be the gate high voltage VGH and VEH.

[0055] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0056] Refer to Figures 1 to 3 , the display panel 100 includes a screen for reproducing an input image according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0057] The pixel array constituting the screen of the display panel 100 may include a first pixel region NML and a second pixel region UDC. The first pixel region NML and the second pixel region UDC include pixels into which pixel data of the input image is written. Therefore, the input image can be displayed in the first pixel region NML and the second pixel region UDC.

[0058] The first pixel region NML is a display region where a plurality of pixels are set to reproduce an input image. The first pixel region NML is larger than the second pixel region UDC and is the main display region of the screen on which most of the image is displayed. The second pixel region UDC is a display region where a plurality of pixels are set to reproduce an input image. The pixel density or resolution of the second pixel region UDC may be equal to or less than the pixel density or resolution of the first pixel region NML. The pixel density can be interpreted as pixels per inch (PPI).

[0059] The second pixel region UDC may include a plurality of light-transmitting portions that do not have an opaque medium, but is not limited thereto. The light-transmitting portions may be provided between sub-pixels. Light can pass through the light-transmitting portions with little loss. When the light-transmitting portions of the second pixel region UDC are enlarged to increase the amount of light received by the optical element on which the light incident through the second pixel region UDC, the pixel density decreases due to the area of the light-transmitting portions, so that the pixel density or resolution of the second pixel region UDC can become less than the pixel density or resolution of the first pixel region NML.

[0060] Each pixel in the first pixel region NML and the second pixel region UDC includes sub-pixels having different colors to achieve image colors. The sub-pixels include red sub-pixels, green sub-pixels, and blue sub-pixels. Hereinafter, the red sub-pixel is abbreviated as "R sub-pixel", the green sub-pixel is abbreviated as "G sub-pixel", and the blue sub-pixel is abbreviated as "B sub-pixel". Each pixel may further include a white sub-pixel. Each sub-pixel may include a pixel circuit for driving a light-emitting element.

[0061] One or more optical elements 200 may be provided below the rear surface of the display panel 100 to overlap with the second pixel region UDC of the display panel 100. External light can travel through the second pixel region UDC to the optical element 200 provided below the display panel 100. The optical element 200 may include at least one of an image sensor (or camera), a proximity sensor, a white light illuminator, and an optical element for face recognition.

[0062] The optical element for face recognition may include an infrared light source, an infrared camera, an infrared illuminator, etc. provided below the second pixel region UDC of the display panel 100. In Figure 2 it, the reference numeral "201" represents an infrared light source, and the reference numeral "202" represents an infrared camera, but they are not limited thereto. In Figure 3 the example, an ambient light sensor 204, a proximity sensor 205, a floodlight illuminator 206, an infrared camera 202, and a front camera 207 may be provided in the notch region 210 of the mobile terminal, and the infrared light source 201 may be provided in the second pixel region UDC. The notch region 210 is a non-display region where there are no pixels at the top of the screen of the mobile terminal.

[0063] In the display device of the present disclosure, since the optical element 200 is disposed below the rear surface of the display panel 100 to overlap with the second pixel region UDC, the display area of the screen is not limited by the optical element 200. Therefore, the display device of the present disclosure can achieve full-screen display by expanding the display area of the screen and increases the degree of freedom in screen design.

[0064] The display panel 100 has a width in a first direction (X-axis), a length in a second direction (Y-axis), and a thickness in a third direction (Z-axis). The first direction and the second direction are orthogonal to each other on the plane of the display panel 100. The display panel 100 may include a circuit layer 12 disposed on a substrate and a light-emitting element layer 14 disposed on the circuit layer 12. A polarizing plate 18 may be disposed on the light-emitting element layer 14, and a cover glass 20 may be disposed on the polarizing plate 18.

[0065] The circuit layer 12 may include a pixel circuit connected to lines such as data lines, gate lines intersecting the data lines, and power lines, a gate driver connected to the gate lines, etc. The circuit layer 12 may include transistors implemented as thin film transistors (TFTs) and circuit elements such as capacitors. The wirings and circuit elements of the circuit layer 12 may be formed of a plurality of insulating layers, two or more metals separated by insulating layers therebetween, and an active layer including a semiconductor material.

[0066] The light-emitting element layer 14 may include light-emitting elements driven by the pixel circuit. The light-emitting elements may be implemented with OLEDs. The OLED includes an organic compound layer formed between an anode and a cathode. The organic compound layer may include a hole injection layer (HIL), a hole transport layer (HTL), an emission layer (EML), an electron transport layer (ETL), and an electron injection layer (EIL), but is not limited thereto. When a voltage is applied to the anode electrode and the cathode electrode of the OLED, holes passing through the hole transport layer (HTL) and electrons passing through the electron transport layer (ETL) move to the emission layer (EML) to form excitons, and visible light is emitted from the emission layer (EML). The light-emitting element layer 14 may further include a color filter array disposed on the light-emitting elements to selectively transmit red, green, and blue wavelengths.

[0067] The light-emitting element layer 14 may be covered with a passivation layer, and the passivation layer may be covered with a encapsulation layer. The passivation layer and the encapsulation layer may have a multi-insulating film structure in which an organic film and an inorganic film are alternately stacked. The inorganic film blocks the penetration of moisture or oxygen. The organic film flattens the surface of the inorganic film. When the organic film and the inorganic film are stacked in multiple layers, the movement path of moisture or oxygen becomes longer than that of a single layer, thereby effectively blocking the penetration of moisture / oxygen that affects the light-emitting element layer 14.

[0068] A touch sensor layer (not shown in the drawings) may be formed on the encapsulation layer, and a polarizing plate 18 or a color filter layer may be disposed on the touch sensor layer. The touch sensor layer may include a capacitive touch sensor that senses a touch input based on a change in capacitance before and after the touch input. The touch sensor layer may include an insulating film that forms the capacitance of the touch sensor and a metal wiring pattern. The insulating film may insulate the crossing portions in the metal wiring pattern and may planarize the surface of the touch sensor layer. The polarizing plate 18 may improve visibility and contrast by converting the polarization of external light reflected by the metal of the touch sensor layer and the circuit layer. The polarizing plate 18 may be implemented as a circular polarizing plate or a polarizing plate in which a linear polarizing plate and a phase retardation film are joined. The cover glass 20 may be joined to the polarizing plate 18. The color filter layer disposed on the touch sensor layer may include a red color filter, a green color filter, and a blue color filter. The color filter layer may further include a black matrix pattern. The color filter layer may absorb a part of the wavelength of the light reflected from the circuit layer and the touch sensor layer to substitute for the role of the polarizing plate 18 and increase the color purity of the image reproduced in the pixel array. In this case, the polarizing plate 18 is not required.

[0069] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a pixel arrangement of a first pixel region NML according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5A and Figure 5B is a diagram illustrating an example of pixels and light transmissive portions of a second pixel region UDC according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In Figures 4 to 5B the lines connected to the pixels are omitted.

[0070] Referring to Figure 4 , the first pixel region NML includes a plurality of pixels. Each pixel may be implemented as a true type pixel in which R sub-pixels, G sub-pixels, and B sub-pixels of the three primary colors are configured as one pixel. Each pixel may further include a W sub-pixel (not shown in the drawings). The pixel density of the first pixel region NML may be higher than the pixel density of the second pixel region UDC.

[0071] Using a sub-pixel rendering algorithm, each pixel may be composed of two sub-pixels. For example, the first pixel may be composed of an R sub-pixel and a first G sub-pixel, and the second pixel may be composed of a B sub-pixel and a second G sub-pixel. The lack of color representation in each of the first pixel and the second pixel may be compensated with an average value of corresponding color data between adjacent pixels.

[0072] Among the sub-pixels, the luminous efficiency of the light-emitting element may be different for each color. Considering this, the size of the sub-pixel may be different for each color. For example, among the R sub-pixel, G sub-pixel, and B sub-pixel, the B sub-pixel may be the largest, and the G sub-pixel may be the smallest.

[0073] Reference Figure 5A and Figure 5B In the second pixel region UDC, a pixel group PG including pixels spaced apart at a predetermined distance and a light-transmitting portion AG provided between adjacent pixel groups PG are provided. The pixel group provided in the region indicated by the dashed line includes a plurality of sub-pixels.

[0074] The light-transmitting portion AG is a region without pixels. The light-transmitting portion AG may be made of a transparent insulating material and does not include metal lines or pixels. Due to the light-transmitting portion AG, the pixel density of the second pixel region UDC can be reduced, but the average light transmittance of the second pixel region UDC can become greater than the average light transmittance of the first pixel region NML, so that the amount of light received by the optical element 200 can be increased.

[0075] In the second pixel region UDC, one or two pixels may be included in the pixel group PG to emit light having a luminance corresponding to the gray level of the pixel data. Each pixel in the pixel group PG may include two to four sub-pixels. In Figure 5A and Figure 5B In the example of, the first pixel is composed of an R sub-pixel and a G sub-pixel, and the second pixel is composed of a B sub-pixel and a G sub-pixel, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The emission region in the pixel group PG is determined as the sum of the emission regions of the sub-pixels connected to the pixel group PG.

[0076] The shape and size of the emission region of each color in each pixel in the first pixel region and the second pixel region are determined by a fine metal mask (FMM). The emission region of each color in the pixel group PG of the second pixel region UDC may be designed to be substantially the same as the emission region of each color in the first pixel region NML, or may be designed to have a shape and / or size different from the shape and / or size of the emission region of the first pixel region NML by using an FMM having a shape different from the shape of the first pixel region NML.

[0077] The shape of the light-transmitting portion AG is shown as a circle in Figure 5A and Figure 5B but is not limited thereto. For example, the light-transmitting portion AG may be designed in various shapes such as a circle, an ellipse, and a polygon.

[0078] Due to process deviations and element characteristic deviations caused during the manufacturing process of the display panel, there may be differences in the electrical characteristics of the driving elements between pixels, and such differences may increase as the driving time of the pixels elapses. In order to compensate for the deviation of the electrical characteristics of the driving elements between pixels, an internal compensation technique or an external compensation technique may be applied to the organic light-emitting display device.

[0079] As in Figure 5A and Figure 5BAs shown, the pixel array of the display panel 100 further includes a boundary pixel region BDR with a predetermined size disposed between the first pixel region NML and the second pixel region UDC.

[0080] The boundary pixel region BDR is a pixel region with a predetermined size between the first pixel region NML and the second pixel region UDC. The boundary pixel region BDR includes a plurality of pixels. As Figure 5A shown, the pixel density of the boundary pixel region BDR can be designed to be substantially the same as that of the first pixel region NML and higher than that of the second pixel region UDC. The pixel density of the boundary pixel region BDR can be less than that of the first pixel region NML. In another embodiment, as Figure 5B shown, the pixel density of a part of the boundary pixel region BDR adjacent to the second pixel region UDC can be less than that of the first pixel region NML and can be equal to or higher than that of the second pixel region UDC.

[0081] Between the first pixel region NML and the second pixel region UDC, at least one of the pixel density, pixel size, and pixel maximum brightness can be different. Therefore, the boundary pixel region BDR can be viewed differently from the first pixel region NML and the second pixel region UDC. To reduce the phenomenon of visually identifying the boundary pixel region BDR, in the present disclosure, as Figure 12A and Figure 12B shown, a unit emission region UA' having the same size as the unit emission region UA of the second pixel region UDC is defined in the boundary pixel region BDR. The first emission region BA in each unit emission region UA' of the boundary pixel region BDR has a spatial period (or distance) similar to or equal to the spatial period (or distance) of the emission region A of the second pixel region UDC.

[0082] The pixel density of the boundary pixel region BDR can be designed to be the same as that of the first pixel region NML. The boundary pixel region BDR can be interpreted as a partial pixel region included in the first pixel region NML close to the second pixel region UDC.

[0083] Internal compensation technology uses an internal compensation circuit implemented in each pixel circuit to sense the threshold voltage of the driving element of each sub-pixel and compensates the gate-source voltage Vgs of the driving element through the threshold voltage. External compensation technology uses an external compensation circuit to sense in real time the current or voltage of the driving element that changes according to the electrical characteristics of the driving element. External compensation technology compensates in real time for the deviation (or change) of the electrical characteristics of the driving element in each pixel by modulating the pixel data (digital data) of the input image according to the deviation (or change) of the electrical characteristics of the driving element sensed for each pixel.

[0084] Figures 6 to 8 This is a circuit diagram showing various pixel circuits applicable to any display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0085] In a first example, referring to Figure 6 , the pixel circuit includes a light-emitting element EL, a driving element DT configured to supply current to the light-emitting element EL, a switching element M01 configured to connect a data line DL to a second node n2 in response to a scan pulse SCAN, and a capacitor Cst connected between the second node n2 and a third node n3. The driving element DT and the switching element M01 can be implemented as n-channel transistors.

[0086] The driving element DT includes a gate electrode connected to the second node n2, a first electrode connected to a first node n1, and a second electrode connected to the third node n3. A VDD (power) line PL to which a pixel driving voltage ELVDD is applied is connected to the first node n1. The light-emitting element EL includes an anode connected to the third node n3 and a cathode connected to a VSS line to which a low-potential power voltage ELVSS is applied.

[0087] The driving element DT drives the light-emitting element EL by supplying current to the light-emitting element EL according to a gate-source voltage Vgs. When the forward voltage between the anode and the cathode is equal to or greater than the threshold voltage, the light-emitting element EL is turned on and emits light. The capacitor Cst is connected between the gate electrode and the source electrode of the driving element DT to maintain the gate-source voltage Vgs of the driving element DT.

[0088] Figure 7 A second example of a pixel circuit according to an embodiment is shown.

[0089] Referring to Figure 7 , in addition to Figure 6 the configuration of the pixel circuit shown, the pixel circuit further includes a second switching element M02 connected between a reference voltage line REFL and the second electrode of the driving element DT. In this pixel circuit, the driving element DT and the switching elements M01 and M02 can be implemented as n-channel transistors.

[0090] The second switching element M02 applies a reference voltage VREF to the third node n3 in response to a scan pulse SCAN or a separate sense pulse SENSE. The reference voltage VREF is applied to the pixel circuit through a REF line REFL.

[0091] In a sensing mode, the current flowing through the channel of the driving element DT or the voltage between the driving element DT and the light-emitting element EL can be sensed through the reference line REFL. The current flowing through the reference line REFL is converted into a voltage by an integrator and then converted into digital data by an analog-to-digital converter (hereinafter referred to as "ADC"). This digital data is sensing data including the threshold voltage or mobility information of the driving element DT. The sensing data is sent to the data operation unit. The data operation unit receives the sensing data from the ADC and compensates for the driving deviation and degradation of the pixel by adding a compensation value selected based on the sensing data to the pixel data or by multiplying the compensation value selected based on the sensing data by the pixel data.

[0092] Figure 8 is a circuit diagram showing a third example of a pixel circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 9 is a waveform diagram showing a method of driving the pixel circuit shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 shown pixel circuit.

[0093] Referring to Figure 8 and Figure 9 , the pixel circuit includes a light-emitting element EL, a driving element DT configured to supply current to the light-emitting element EL, and a switching circuit configured to switch the voltages applied to the light-emitting element EL and the driving element DT.

[0094] The switching circuit is connected to power lines PL1, PL2, and PL3 to which a pixel driving voltage ELVDD, a low-potential power voltage ELVSS, and an initialization voltage Vini are applied, a data line DL, and gate lines GL1, GL2, and GL3, and switches the voltages applied to the light-emitting element EL and the driving element DT in response to a gate signal. The gate signal may include a scan pulse SCAN(N - 1) and SCAN(N) and an emission control pulse (hereinafter referred to as "EM pulse") EM(N). Here, N is a number, such as a positive integer.

[0095] The switching circuit includes an internal compensation circuit that samples the threshold voltage Vth of the driving element DT using a plurality of switching elements M1 to M6, stores the voltage in a capacitor Cst, and compensates the gate voltage of the driving element DT through the threshold voltage Vth of the driving element DT. Each of the driving element DT and the switching elements M1 to M6 can be implemented as a p-channel TFT.

[0096] The driving period of the pixel circuit can be divided into an initialization period Tini, a sampling period Tsam, and a light-emitting period Tem, as Figure 9 shown.

[0097] During the sampling period Tsam, the N-th scan pulse SCAN(N) is generated at the gate-on voltage VGL and applied to the first gate line GL1. During the initialization period Tini before the sampling period, the (N-1)-th scan pulse SCAN(N-1) is generated at the gate-on voltage VGL and applied to the second gate line GL2. During the initialization period Tini and the sampling period Tsam, the emission control pulse (hereinafter referred to as "EM pulse") EM(N) is generated at the gate-off voltage VEH and applied to the third gate line GL3.

[0098] During the initialization period Tini, the (N-1)-th scan pulse SCAN(N-1) is generated at the gate-on voltage VGL, and the voltage of each of the N-th scan pulse SCAN(N) and the EM pulse EM(N) is the gate-off voltage VGH / VEH. During the sampling period Tsam, the N-th scan pulse SCAN(N) is generated at the gate-on voltage VGL, and the voltage of each of the (N-1)-th scan pulse SCAN(N-1) and the EM pulse EM(N) is the gate-off voltage VGH / VEH. During at least a part of the light-emitting period Tem, the EM pulse EM(N) is generated at the gate-on voltage VEL, and the voltage of each of the (N-1)-th scan pulse SCAN(N-1) and the N-th scan pulse SCAN(N) is the gate-off voltage VGH.

[0099] During the initialization period Tini, the fifth switching element M5 is turned on in response to the gate-on voltage VGL of the (N-1)-th scan pulse SCAN(N-1) to initialize the pixel circuit. During the sampling period Tsam, the first switching element M1 and the third switching element M3 are turned on in response to the gate-on voltage VGL of the N-th scan pulse SCAN(N), so that the data voltage Vdata compensated by the threshold voltage of the driving element DT is stored in the capacitor Cst. In addition, during the sampling period Tsam, the sixth switching element M6 is turned on to reduce the voltage of the fourth node n4 to the reference voltage VREF, thereby suppressing the light emission of the light-emitting element EL.

[0100] When the light-emitting period Tem starts, the EM line GL3 is inverted to the gate-on voltage VEL. During the light-emitting period Tem, the scan lines GL1 and GL2 maintain the gate-off voltage VGH. During the light-emitting period Tem, since the second switching element M2 and the fourth switching element M4 are turned on, the light-emitting element EL can emit light. During the light-emitting period Tem, in order to accurately express the luminance of low gray levels, the voltage level of the EM pulse EM(N) can be inverted between the gate-on voltage VEL and the gate-off voltage VEH at a predetermined duty ratio. In this case, the second switching element M2 and the fourth switching element M4 can be repeatedly turned on / off according to the duty ratio of the EM pulse EM(N) during the light-emitting period Tem.

[0101] The anode of the light-emitting element EL is connected to the fourth node n4 between the fourth switching element M4 and the sixth switching element M6. The fourth node n4 is connected to the anode of the light-emitting element EL, the second electrode of the fourth switching element M4, and the second electrode of the sixth switching element M6. The cathode of the light-emitting element EL is connected to the VSS line PL3 to which the low-potential supply voltage ELVSS is applied. The light-emitting element EL emits light using the current Ids flowing according to the gate-source voltage Vgs of the driving element DT. The current path of the light-emitting element EL is switched by the second switching element M2 and the fourth switching element M4.

[0102] The storage capacitor Cst is connected between the VDD line PL1 and the second node n2. The data voltage Vdata compensated by the threshold voltage Vth of the driving element DT is charged into the capacitor Cst. Since the data voltage Vdata in each sub-pixel is compensated by the threshold voltage Vth of the driving element DT, the characteristic deviation of the driving element DT in the sub-pixel is compensated.

[0103] The third switching element M3 is turned on in response to the gate-on voltage VGL of the Nth scan pulse SCAN(N) to connect the second node n2 to the third node n3. The second node n2 is connected to the gate electrode of the driving element DT, the first electrode of the capacitor Cst, and the first electrode of the third switching element M3. The third node n3 is connected to the second electrode of the driving element DT, the second electrode of the third switching element M3, and the first electrode of the fourth switching element M4. The gate electrode of the third switching element M3 is connected to the Nth scan line GL1 to receive the Nth scan pulse SCAN(N). The first electrode of the third switching element M3 is connected to the second node n2, and the second electrode of the third switching element M3 is connected to the third node n3.

[0104] Since the first switching element M1 is turned on during a very short horizontal period (1H) in which the N-th scan signal SCAN(N) is generated as the gate-on voltage VGL in one frame period, leakage current may occur in the off state. To suppress the leakage current of the first switching element M1, the first switching element M1 can be implemented with a transistor having a dual-gate structure in which two transistors are connected in series.

[0105] The first switching element M1 is turned on in response to the gate-on voltage VGL of the N-th scan pulse SCAN(N) to supply the data voltage Vdata to the first node n1. The gate electrode of the first switching element M1 is connected to the N-th gate line GL1 to receive the N-th scan pulse SCAN(N). The first electrode of the first switching element M1 is connected to the first node n1. The second electrode of the first switching element M1 is connected to the data line DL of the first region DA to which the data voltage Vdata is applied. The first node n1 is connected to the first electrode of the first switching element M1, the second electrode of the second switching element M2, and the first electrode of the driving element DT.

[0106] The second switching element M2 is turned on in response to the gate-on voltage VEL of the EM pulse EM(N) to connect the VDD line PL1 to the first node n1. The gate electrode of the second switching element M2 is connected to the EM line GL3 to receive the EM pulse EM(N). The first electrode of the second switching element M2 is connected to the VDD line PL1. The second electrode of the second switching element M2 is connected to the first node n1.

[0107] The fourth switching element M4 is turned on in response to the gate-on voltage VEL of the EM pulse EM(N) to connect the third node n3 to the anode of the light-emitting element EL. The gate electrode of the fourth switching element M4 is connected to the EM line GL3 to receive the EM pulse EM(N). The first electrode of the fourth switching element M4 is connected to the third node n3, and the second electrode is connected to the fourth node n4.

[0108] The fifth switching element M5 is turned on in response to the gate-on voltage VGL of the (N - 1)-th scan pulse SCAN(N - 1) to connect the second node n2 to the Vini line PL2. The gate electrode of the fifth switching element M5 is connected to the (N - 1)-th scan line GL2 to receive the (N - 1)-th scan pulse SCAN(N - 1). The first electrode of the fifth switching element M5 is connected to the second node n2, and the second electrode is connected to the Vini line PL2. To suppress the leakage current of the fifth switching element M5, the fifth switching element M5 is implemented with a transistor having a dual-gate structure in which two transistors are connected in series.

[0109] The sixth switching element M6 is turned on in response to the gate conduction voltage VGL of the N-th scan pulse SCAN(N) to connect the Vini line PL2 to the fourth node n4. The gate electrode of the sixth switching element M6 is connected to the N-th scan line GL1 to receive the N-th scan pulse SCAN(N). The first electrode of the sixth switching element M6 is connected to the Vini line PL2, and the second electrode of the sixth switching element M6 is connected to the fourth node n4.

[0110] In another embodiment, the gate electrodes of the fifth switching element M5 and the sixth switching element M6 may be commonly connected to the (N - 1)-th scan line GL2 to which the (N - 1)-th scan pulse SCAN(N - 1) is applied. In this case, the fifth switching element M5 and the sixth switching element M6 may be turned on simultaneously in response to the (N - 1)-th scan pulse SCAN(N - 1).

[0111] The driving element DT drives the light-emitting element EL by controlling the current flowing through the light-emitting element EL according to the gate-source voltage Vgs. The driving element DT includes a gate connected to the second node n2, a first electrode connected to the first node n1, and a second electrode connected to the third node n3. In Figure 9 , "DTG" is the gate voltage of the driving element DT, that is, the voltage of the second node n2.

[0112] It should be noted that the configuration of the pixel circuit present in the display device of the present disclosure is not limited to the Figures 6 to 8 example. For example, the data voltage Vdata may be applied to the gate electrode of the driving element DT or to the first electrode or the second electrode of the driving element DT. The gamma characteristic curve of the data voltage Vdata may be set to a positive gamma curve or an inverse gamma curve according to the channel characteristics of the driving element DT or the electrode to which the data voltage Vdata is applied. The data voltage Vdata may be applied to the first electrode or the second electrode of an n-channel driving element DT, or the data voltage Vdata may be applied to the gate electrode of a p-channel driving element DT. The data voltage Vdata applied to the gate electrode of the n-channel driving element DT is a voltage determined by a positive gamma curve. The data voltage Vdata applied to the first electrode or the second electrode of the n-channel driving element DT is a voltage determined by an inverse gamma curve. The data voltage Vdata applied to the gate electrode of the p-channel driving element DT is a voltage determined by an inverse gamma curve. The data voltage Vdata applied to the first electrode or the second electrode of the p-channel driving element DT is a voltage determined by a positive gamma curve.

[0113] Figure 10 is a block diagram showing a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0114] Refer to Figure 10, a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a display panel 100, display panel drivers 110 and 120 for writing pixel data of an input image into pixels P of the display panel 100, a timing controller 130 for controlling the display panel drivers, and a power supply unit 150 for generating power required to drive the display panel 100.

[0115] The display panel 100 includes a pixel array that displays an input image on the screen. As described above, the pixel array may be divided into a first pixel region NML and a second pixel region UDC. Each sub-pixel of the pixel array may use Figures 6 to 8 the pixel circuit shown to drive a light-emitting element EL. As a variant, the pixel array may include one or more first pixel regions DA and one or more second pixel regions CA.

[0116] A touch sensor may be provided on the screen of the display panel 100. The touch sensor may be implemented as an on-cell type or add-on type touch sensor provided on the screen of the display panel, or may be implemented as an in-cell type touch sensor embedded in the pixel array.

[0117] The display panel 100 may be implemented as a flexible display panel in which pixels P are provided on a flexible substrate such as a plastic substrate or a metal substrate. In a flexible display, the size and shape of the screen may be changed by winding, folding, or bending the flexible display panel. The flexible display may include a slidable display, a rollable display, a bendable display, a foldable display, etc.

[0118] The display panel driver reproduces an input image on the screen of the display panel 100 by writing pixel data of the input image into sub-pixels. The display panel driver includes a data driver 110 and a gate driver 120. The display panel driver may also include a demultiplexer 112 provided between the data driver 110 and the data line DL.

[0119] Each display panel driver may operate in a low-speed driving mode under the control of the timing controller 130. In the low-speed driving mode, by analyzing the input image, when the input image does not change within a preset time, the power consumption of the display device may be reduced. In the low-speed driving mode, when a still image is input for a predetermined time or longer, the power consumption may be reduced by reducing the refresh rate of the pixel P and controlling the data writing period of the pixel P to be longer. The low-speed driving mode is not limited to the case of inputting a still image. For example, when the display device operates in a standby mode, or when a user command or input image is not input to the display panel driving circuit for a predetermined time or longer, the display panel driving circuit may operate in the low-speed driving mode.

[0120] The data driver 110 receives pixel data of an input image as digital data and generates a data voltage Vdata using a digital-to-analog converter (hereinafter referred to as “DAC”). The DAC receives the pixel data as digital data and receives a gamma reference voltage from a gamma voltage generator of the power supply unit 150. The data driver 110 divides the gamma reference voltage into gamma compensation voltages corresponding to the gray levels of the pixel data respectively by using a voltage divider circuit. The DAC of the data driver 110 is provided in each channel of the data driver 110. The DAC converts the pixel data into a gamma compensation voltage by using a switch element array that selects a voltage in response to bits of the pixel data and outputs the data voltage Vdata. The data voltage Vdata output from each channel of the data driver 110 may be supplied to a data line DL of the display panel 100 through a demultiplexer 112.

[0121] The demultiplexer 112 time-division multiplexes and distributes the data voltage Vdata output through the channels of the data driver 110 to a plurality of data lines DL. Due to the demultiplexer 112, the number of channels of the data driver 110 can be reduced. The demultiplexer 112 may be omitted. In this case, the channels of the data driver 110 are directly connected to the data lines DL.

[0122] The gate driver 120 may be implemented as an in-panel gate (GIP) circuit that is directly formed on a border area BZ of the display panel 100 together with a TFT array of a pixel array. The gate driver 120 outputs a gate signal to a gate line GL under the control of a timing controller 130. The gate driver 120 may sequentially supply the gate signal to the gate line GL by shifting the gate signal by using a shift register. The voltage of the gate signal swings between a gate-off voltage VGH and a gate-on voltage VGL. The gate signal may include Figures 6 to 8 the shown scan pulse, EM pulse, sense pulse, etc.

[0123] The gate driver 120 may be provided on each of a left border and a right border (or two opposite sides) of the display panel 100 so as to supply the gate signal to the gate line GL in a dual-gate method. In the dual-gate method, the gate drivers 120 on both sides are synchronized so that the gate signal can be applied simultaneously from both ends of one gate line. In another exemplary embodiment, the gate driver 120 may be provided on either a left border or a right border (or two opposite sides) of the display panel 100 and may supply the gate signal to the gate line GL in a single-gate method.

[0124] The gate driver 120 may include a first gate driver 121 and a second gate driver 122. The first gate driver 121 outputs scan pulses and sense pulses, and shifts the scan pulses and sense pulses according to a shift clock. The second gate driver 122 outputs EM pulses and shifts the EM pulses according to a shift clock. In the case of a borderless model, at least some of the switching elements constituting the first gate driver 121 and the second gate driver 122 may be distributively arranged in the pixel array.

[0125] The timing controller 130 receives pixel data of an input image and timing signals synchronized with the pixel data from a host system. The timing signals include a vertical synchronization signal Vsync, a horizontal synchronization signal Hsync, a clock CLK, a data enable signal DE, etc. One period of the vertical synchronization signal Vsync is one frame period. One period of each of the horizontal synchronization signal Hsync and the data enable signal DE is one horizontal period 1H. The pulse of the data enable signal DE is synchronized with one line of data of the pixel P to be written to one pixel row. Since the frame period and the horizontal period can be known by counting the data enable signal DE, the vertical synchronization signal Vsync and the horizontal synchronization signal Hsync can be omitted.

[0126] The timing controller 130 sends the pixel data of the input image to the data driver 110, and synchronizes the data driver 110, the demultiplexer 112, and the gate driver 120. The timing controller 130 may include a data arithmetic unit that receives sense data obtained from the pixel P in a display panel driver to which an external compensation technique is applied and modulates the pixel data. In this case, the timing controller 130 may send the pixel data modulated by the data arithmetic unit to the data driver 110.

[0127] The timing controller 130 may control the operation timings of the display panel drivers 110, 112, and 120 at a frame frequency obtained by multiplying the input frame frequency by i times (i is a positive integer greater than 0) to an input frame frequency × i Hz. The input frame frequency is 60 Hz in the National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) scheme and 50 Hz in the Phase Alternating Line (PAL) scheme. In the low-speed driving mode, the timing controller 130 may reduce the frame frequency to a frequency between 1 Hz and 30 Hz to reduce the refresh rate of the pixel P.

[0128] The timing controller 130 generates a data timing control signal for controlling the operation timing of the data driver 110, a switch control signal for controlling the operation timing of the demultiplexer 112, and a gate timing control signal for controlling the operation timing of the gate driver 120 based on the timing signals Vsync, Hsync, and DE received from the host system.

[0129] The voltage level of the gate timing control signal output from the timing controller 130 can be converted into a gate high voltage VGH / VEH and a gate low voltage VGL / VEL by a level shifter (omitted in the figure), and can be supplied to the gate driver 120. The level shifter receives the clock of the gate timing control signal from the timing controller 130 and outputs timing signals such as a start pulse and a shift clock required to drive the gate driver 120. The low-level voltage of the gate timing control signal input to the level shifter can be converted into the gate low voltage VGL by the level shifter, and the high-level voltage of the gate timing control signal can be converted into the gate high voltage VGH / VEH.

[0130] The power supply unit 150 may include a charge pump, a regulator, a buck converter, a boost converter, a gamma voltage generation circuit, etc. The power supply unit 150 adjusts the DC input voltage from the host system to generate the power required to drive the display panel 100 and the display panel driver. The power supply unit 150 may output DC voltages such as a gamma reference voltage, a gate-off voltage VGH / VEH, a gate-on voltage VGL / VEL, a pixel drive voltage ELVDD, a low-potential power voltage ELVSS, an initialization voltage Vini, and a reference voltage VREF.

[0131] The gamma voltage generation circuit can be implemented with a programmable gamma IC (P-GMAIC). The programmable gamma IC can change the gamma reference voltage according to the register setting value. The gamma reference voltage is supplied to the data driver 110. The gate-off voltage VGH / VEH and the gate-on voltage VGL / VEL are supplied to the level shifter and the gate driver 120. The pixel drive voltage ELVDD, the low-potential power voltage ELVSS, the initialization voltage Vini, and the reference voltage VREF are commonly supplied to the pixel circuit through power lines. The pixel drive voltage ELVDD is set to be higher than the low-potential power voltage ELVSS, the initialization voltage Vini, and the reference voltage VREF.

[0132] The host system may be a main circuit board of a television (TV) system, a set-top box, a navigation system, a personal computer (PC), a vehicle system, a home theater system, a mobile device, or a wearable device. In a mobile device or a wearable device, as Figure 11 shown, the timing controller 130, the data driver 110, and the power supply unit 150 may be integrated into one driving integrated circuit (D-IC). In Figure 11In [the figure], reference numeral "200" denotes a host system. The host system 200 includes an authentication module. The authentication module can execute a face recognition algorithm, which processes user authentication by comparing face pattern data received from an infrared camera 202 with preset feature points of a user face pattern. The authentication module can be software stored in hardware (e.g., a processor circuit) to process user authentication.

[0133] In the present disclosure, in order to reduce the differences in brightness and color of the boundary pixel region BDR, as Figure 12A and 12B shown, unit emission regions UA and UA' of the same size are defined in the second pixel region UDC and the boundary pixel region BDR, and the unit emission region UA' of the boundary pixel region BDR is divided into a first emission region BA and a second emission region BB whose brightness is controlled differently.

[0134] Figure 12A is a plan view showing the unit emission region UA of the second pixel region UDC according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 12B is a plan view showing the first and second emission regions of the boundary pixel region BDR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In Figure 12A and Figure 12B ,"R" represents an R sub-pixel, "G" represents a G sub-pixel, and "B" represents a B sub-pixel.

[0135] As Figure 5A and Figure 5B shown, the second pixel region UDC includes pixel groups PG spaced apart at a predetermined distance. The second pixel region UDC has repeatability, where the unit emission region UA including one pixel group PG is regularly arranged along the X-axis and the Y-axis.

[0136] Each unit emission region UA in the second pixel region UDC includes an emission region A and a non-emission region NA provided around the emission region A. The emission region A can include at least one pixel or two or more sub-pixels of different colors, and can include two or more color emission regions. Each sub-pixel can drive a light-emitting element of a color emission region. In the second pixel region UDC, a plurality of emission regions A are spaced apart from each other by a distance corresponding to the length of the unit emission region UA, and the non-emission region NA is located between the emission regions A. The non-emission region NA can include a light-transmitting portion AG without pixels.

[0137] The boundary pixel region BDR includes a unit emission region UA' having the same size as the unit emission region UA. The unit emission region UA' includes a first emission region BA set to have the same size as the emission region A of the unit emission region UA, and a second emission region BB set to have the same size as the non-emission region NA of the unit emission region UA. Each of the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB may include at least one pixel or at least two or more sub-pixels of different colors, and may include two or more color emission regions. Each sub-pixel may drive a light-emitting element of a color emission region.

[0138] Each of the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB may have one or more pixels disposed therein to include an emission region. At least one of the second emission regions BB may be disposed between adjacent first emission regions BA. The brightness of the first emission region BA and the brightness of the second emission region BB may be controlled differently, for example, opposite to each other.

[0139] In the boundary pixel region BDR, the number of sub-pixels of the same color in the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB satisfies an integer multiple relationship. For example, in Figure 12B the number of sub-pixels of each color in the second emission region BB is three times the number of sub-pixels of the same color in the first emission region BA. In Figure 12B the first emission region BA of the unit emission region UA' includes two R sub-pixels, four G sub-pixels, and two B sub-pixels. The second emission region BB of the unit emission region UA' includes six R sub-pixels, twelve G sub-pixels, and six B sub-pixels.

[0140] Meanwhile, as Figure 5B shown, in a part of the boundary pixel region BDR adjacent to the second pixel region UDC, the second emission region BB may not include pixels and color emission regions.

[0141] As Figure 12A shown, in a unit emission region UA, the emission region A occupies approximately 25%, but is not limited thereto. For example, the emission region A may be set to occupy approximately 25% to 75% in a unit emission region UA.

[0142] Figures 13 to 16 is a diagram showing various embodiments of the second pixel region UDC and the boundary pixel region BDR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0143] Referring to Figures 13 to 16, the unit emission region UA' of the boundary pixel region BDR may include more sub-pixels than the unit emission region UA of the second pixel region UDC. The sub-pixels provided in the unit emission region UA' of the boundary pixel region BDR may include emission regions having shapes different from those of the emission regions of the sub-pixels provided in the unit emission region UA of the second pixel region UDC. The number and shape of the sub-pixels provided in the unit emission region UA' of the boundary pixel region BDR may be the same as the number and shape of the sub-pixels provided in the first pixel region NML in the same size. Each sub-pixel provided in the unit emission region UA of the second pixel region UDC has a larger and different shape than the sub-pixels of the same color provided in the unit emission region UA' of the boundary pixel region BDR.

[0144] In Figure 13 the example of, the unit emission region UA of the second pixel region UDC may include two emission regions A. The area occupied by the two emission regions A in the unit emission region UA may be approximately 1 / 2. Each emission region A may include one R sub-pixel, two G sub-pixels, and one B sub-pixel. Each sub-pixel provided in the emission region A may include a square or rectangular color emission region. The R sub-pixel of the second pixel region UDC may be larger than the R sub-pixel of the boundary pixel region BDR, and the G sub-pixel of the second pixel region UDC may be larger than the G sub-pixel of the boundary pixel region BDR. In addition, the B sub-pixel of the second pixel region UDC may be larger than the B sub-pixel of the boundary pixel region BDR.

[0145] In Figure 13 the example of, the unit emission region UA' and the first emission region BA in the boundary pixel region BDR respectively have the same shape and the same size as the unit emission region UA and the emission region A in the second pixel region UDC. In the unit emission region UA' of the boundary pixel region BDR, the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB may each occupy approximately 1 / 2 of the unit emission region.

[0146] In the boundary pixel region BDR, 1 / 3 of the regions of the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB having the same size may include two R sub-pixels, four G sub-pixels, and two B sub-pixels. Each sub-pixel provided in the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB may include a rhombus or parallelogram color emission region.

[0147] In Figure 14In the example, the unit emission region UA of the second pixel region UDC may include one emission region A. The area occupied by one emission region A in the unit emission region UA may be approximately 1 / 4. Each emission region A may include two R sub-pixels, four G sub-pixels, and two B sub-pixels. The G sub-pixels disposed in the emission region A may each include a square or rectangular color emission region, and the R sub-pixels and B sub-pixels may each include a wedge-shaped color emission region with a slanted corner. The R sub-pixels of the second pixel region UDC may be larger than the R sub-pixels of the boundary pixel region BDR, and the B sub-pixels of the second pixel region UDC may be larger than the B sub-pixels of the boundary pixel region BDR. The G sub-pixels of the second pixel region UDC may be equal to or larger than the G sub-pixels of the boundary pixel region BDR.

[0148] In Figure 14 the example, the unit emission region UA' and the first emission region BA of the boundary pixel region BDR respectively have the same shape and the same size as the unit emission region UA and the emission region A of the second pixel region UDC. In the unit emission region UA' of the boundary pixel region BDR, the area occupied by the first emission region BA may be approximately 1 / 4, and the area occupied by the second emission region BB may be approximately 3 / 4.

[0149] In the boundary pixel region BDR, 1 / 3 of the regions of the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB with the same size may include two R sub-pixels, four G sub-pixels, and two B sub-pixels. Each sub-pixel disposed in the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB may include a square or rectangular color emission region.

[0150] In Figure 15 the example, the unit emission region UA of the second pixel region UDC may include one emission region A. The area occupied by one emission region A in the unit emission region UA may be approximately 1 / 2. The emission region A may include one R sub-pixel, one G sub-pixel, and one B sub-pixel. Each sub-pixel disposed in the emission region A may include a square, octagon, circle, or oval color emission region. The R sub-pixels of the second pixel region UDC may be larger than the R sub-pixels of the boundary pixel region BDR, and the G sub-pixels of the second pixel region UDC may be larger than the G sub-pixels of the boundary pixel region BDR. Additionally, the B sub-pixels of the second pixel region UDC may be larger than the B sub-pixels of the boundary pixel region BDR.

[0151] In Figure 15 the example, the unit emission region UA' and the first emission region BA of the boundary pixel region BDR respectively have the same size as the unit emission region UA and the emission region A of the second pixel region UDC. In the unit emission region UA' of the boundary pixel region BDR, the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB may each occupy approximately 1 / 2 of the unit emission region.

[0152] In the unit emission region UA' of the boundary pixel region BDR, the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB may each include one R sub-pixel, two G sub-pixels, and one B sub-pixel. Each sub-pixel disposed in the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB may include a diamond-shaped or rectangular emission region for each color.

[0153] As Figures 13 to 15 can be seen, at least one of the number, size, and shape of the sub-pixels disposed in the unit emission region UA of the second pixel region UDC may be designed to be different from at least one of the number, size, and shape of the sub-pixels in the boundary pixel region BDR. Additionally, as Figure 16 shown, the number, size, and shape of the sub-pixels disposed in the unit emission region UA of the second pixel region UDC may be designed to be the same as or similar to the number, size, and shape of the sub-pixels in the boundary pixel region BDR.

[0154] The host system 200 or the timing controller 130 may control the brightness of the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB of the boundary pixel region BDR to be different from each other.

[0155] Figure 17 is a diagram showing an example in which the spatial period of the unit emission region of the boundary pixel region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is the same as the spatial period of the unit emission region of the second pixel region.

[0156] Referring to Figure 17 , the unit emission region UA' of the boundary pixel region BDR is defined to have substantially the same size as the unit emission region UA of the second pixel region UDC. In the boundary pixel region BDR, the distance or gap Lx, Ly between adjacent first emission regions BA in each of the first direction (X-axis) and the second direction (Y-axis) is set to be equal to or similar to the distance Lx, Ly between the emission regions A of the second pixel region UDC. In other words, at the boundary between the boundary pixel region BDR and the second pixel region UDC, the separation distance between the first emission region BA of the boundary pixel region BDR and the emission region A of the second pixel region UDC may be constant. The distances Lx, Ly between the first emission region BA of the boundary pixel region BDR and the emission region A of the second pixel region UDC existing at the boundary between the boundary pixel region BDR and the second pixel region UDC are equal to or similar to the distances Lx, Ly between the emission regions A of the second pixel region UDC. Therefore, the light emission spatial period of the bright pixels in the boundary pixel region BDR close to the second pixel region can become substantially the same as the light emission spatial period of the second pixel region UDC, thereby reducing the feeling of non-uniformity in the boundary pixel region BDR.

[0157] AsFigure 17 As shown, a second emission region BB with low brightness is disposed between the emission region A of the second pixel region UDC and the first emission region BA of the boundary pixel region BDR to ensure the separation distances Lx and Ly.

[0158] As Figure 17 shown, the second pixel region UDC and the boundary pixel region BDR include a first line LINE1 and a second line LINE2. Bright emission regions A and BA and relatively dark regions NA and BB are arranged along the first direction X on the first line LINE1, and relatively dark regions NA and BB are arranged along the first direction X on the second line LINE2. The first emission region BA and the second emission region BB are alternately arranged on the first line LINE1 of the boundary pixel region BDR. The second emission region BB is continuously arranged on the second line LINE2 of the boundary pixel region BDR without the first emission region BA.

[0159] Figure 18 FIG. is an example showing that the brightness of the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB in the boundary pixel region BDR between the first pixel region NML and the second pixel region UDC according to an embodiment of the present disclosure gradually changes to be opposite to each other.

[0160] Referring to Figure 18 , as the distance from the second pixel region UDC increases, that is, as the distance to the first pixel region NML decreases, the maximum brightness of the first emission region BA in the boundary pixel region BDR decreases to a level equal to or similar to the maximum brightness of the first pixel region NML. In the boundary pixel region BDR, as the distance from the second pixel region UDC increases, that is, as the distance to the first pixel region NML decreases, the maximum brightness of the sub-pixels of the second emission region BB disposed around the first emission region BA increases to a level equal to or similar to the maximum brightness of the first pixel region NML. Therefore, since the average brightness of the unit emission regions UA and UA' between the first pixel region NML and the second pixel region UDC can be the same or almost the same, the boundary pixel region BDR can be prevented from appearing in the form of a bright line or a dark line.

[0161] The maximum brightness of the second pixel region UDC can be set to be higher than the maximum brightness of the first pixel region NML. As can be seen from Figure 19B and Figure 20B , the maximum brightness of the first emission region BA in the boundary pixel region BDR can be less than the maximum brightness of the second pixel region UDC and higher than the maximum brightness of the first pixel region NML. The maximum brightness of the second emission region BB in the boundary pixel region BDR can be less than the maximum brightness of the second pixel region UDC and less than the maximum brightness of the first pixel region NML.

[0162] Figure 19AIt is a diagram showing an example of the area ratio between the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB in the boundary pixel region BDR. In Figure 19A ,"BA + BB" represents a pixel group including the first emission region BA that emits high-brightness light and the second emission region BB that emits low-brightness light within the unit pixel region UA' of the boundary pixel region BDR. In Figure 19A 's example, the sub-pixel arrangement of the first emission region BA is the same as that of the unit emission region UA of the second pixel region UDC. In Figure 19A 's example, the area ratio between the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB is approximately 1:3.

[0163] Figure 19B It is a diagram showing an example of a method for controlling the brightness of the unit emission regions UA and UA' as in Figure 19A according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In Figure 19B , the numbers outside the parentheses represent the maximum brightness, and the numbers inside the parentheses represent the brightness contribution rates (%) of the unit emission regions UA and UA' to which the area ratio is applied.

[0164] As Figure 19B shown, the second pixel region UDC and the boundary pixel region BDR include a first line LINE1 and a second line LINE2. On the first line LINE1, bright emission regions A and BA and relatively dark regions NA and BB are arranged along the diagonal direction θ between the first direction X and the second direction Y, and on the second line LINE2, relatively dark regions NA and BB are arranged along the diagonal direction θ. The first emission region BA and the second emission region BB are alternately arranged on the first line LINE1 of the boundary pixel region BDR. The second emission region BB is continuously arranged on the second line LINE2 of the boundary pixel region BDR without the first emission region BA.

[0165] Figure 20A It is a diagram showing another example of the area ratio between the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB of the boundary pixel region BDR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In Figure 20A ,"BA + BB" represents a pixel group including the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB that emit high-brightness light within the unit pixel region UA' of the boundary pixel region BDR. In Figure 20A 's example, the sub-pixel arrangement of the first emission region BA is different from that of the unit emission region UA of the second pixel region UDC. In Figure 20A 's example, the area ratio between the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB is approximately 1:1.

[0166] Figure 20B It is a diagram showing, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, for controlling as Figure 20AExample diagram of a method for the luminance of the unit emission regions UA and UA'. In Figure 20B the numbers outside the parentheses represent the maximum luminance, and the numbers inside the parentheses represent the luminance contribution ratios (%) of the unit emission regions UA and UA' to the applied area ratio.

[0167] Referring to Figures 19A to 20B , the maximum luminance of the first emission region BA in the boundary pixel region BDR can gradually decrease as the distance to the first pixel region NML decreases. On the other hand, the maximum luminance of the second emission region BB in the boundary pixel region BDR gradually increases as the distance from the second pixel region UDC increases, that is, gradually increases as the distance to the first pixel region NML decreases. The maximum luminance difference between the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB decreases as the distance from the second pixel region UDC increases. As described above, the maximum luminance of the first emission region BA in the boundary pixel region BDR can be less than the maximum luminance of the second pixel region UDC and greater than the maximum luminance of the first pixel region NML. The maximum luminance of the second emission region BB in the boundary pixel region BDR can be less than the maximum luminance of the second pixel region UDC and less than the maximum luminance of the first pixel region NML. This method for controlling the luminance of the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB can improve the perception of non-uniformity of the boundary pixel region BDR as shown in Figure 21 and Figure 22 . Figure 21 The left image of Figure 13 is a part of the screen image captured when the pixels in Figure 22 emit light with an intermediate gray level, and its right image shows the pixels of the second pixel region UDC and the adjacent boundary pixel region BDR. Figure 16 The left image of

[0168] is a part of the screen image captured when the pixels in

[0169] emit light with an intermediate gray level, and its right image shows the pixels of the second pixel region UDC and the adjacent boundary pixel region BDR. Figure 19AIn the example, when the area ratio of the first emission region BA to the second emission region BB is 1:3, the brightness contribution rate of the first emission region BA is a value obtained by multiplying the maximum brightness by 1 / 4. The brightness contribution rate of the second emission region BB is a value obtained by multiplying the maximum brightness by 3 / 4. Here, 1 / 4 is the ratio of the area occupied by the first emission region BA in the unit emission region UA', and 3 / 4 is the ratio of the area occupied by the second emission region BB in the unit emission region UA'. The brightness of the unit emission region UA' is a value obtained by adding the brightness of the first emission region BA and the brightness of the second emission region BB. Therefore, in the unit emission region UA', the sum of the brightness contribution rate (%) of the first emission region BA and the brightness contribution rate (%) of the second emission region BB is 100%. For example, in the unit emission region UA' adjacent to the first pixel region NML, the brightness contribution rate of the first emission region BA is 160*(1 / 4) = 40%, and the brightness contribution rate of the second emission region BB is 80*(3 / 4) = 60%. In the unit emission region UA' adjacent to the second pixel region UDC, the brightness contribution rate of the first emission region BA is 340*(1 / 4) = 85%, and the brightness contribution rate of the second emission region BB is 20*(3 / 4) = 15%.

[0170] As Figure 20A in the example, when the area ratio of the first emission region BA to the second emission region BB is 1:1, the brightness contribution rate of the first emission region BA is a value obtained by multiplying the maximum brightness by 1 / 2. Similarly, the brightness contribution rate of the second emission region BB is a value obtained by multiplying the maximum brightness by 1 / 2. In Figure 20A and Figure 20B the example, in the unit emission region UA' adjacent to the first pixel region NML, the brightness contribution rate of the first emission region BA is 120*(1 / 2) = 60%, and the brightness contribution rate of the second emission region BB is 80*(1 / 2) = 40%. In the unit emission region UA' adjacent to the second pixel region UDC, the brightness contribution rate of the first emission region BA is 180*(1 / 2) = 90%, and the brightness contribution rate of the second emission region BB is 20*(1 / 2) = 10%. Figure 20B The middle diagram in shows the high brightness 20a and low brightness 20b of the gray levels in the unit emission regions UA and UA'.

[0171] Meanwhile, in Figures 23 to 26In the comparative example shown, in the second pixel region UDC and the boundary pixel region BDR, the high-luminance emission regions A and BA can be arranged adjacent to each other with almost no gap, or the low-luminance emission region BB or the non-emission region NA can be arranged adjacent to each other with almost no gap. In the comparative example, in the boundary pixel region BDR between the first pixel region NML and the second pixel region UDC, the bright points BPNT appear significantly due to the bright pixels being adjacent to each other, and the dark points DPNT appear significantly due to the dark pixels being adjacent to each other. In this comparative example, bright points and dark points are periodically seen in the boundary pixel region BDR, so that the user feels a sense of non-uniformity. In contrast, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, at the boundary between the boundary pixel region BDR and the second pixel region UDC along each of the first direction X and the second direction Y, the separation distances Lx and Ly between the first emission region BA of the boundary pixel region BDR and the emission region A of the second pixel region UDC are constant, so that the boundary pixel region BDR is not visually recognized, and the user does not feel a sense of non-uniformity regarding the boundary pixel region BDR.

[0172] In the boundary pixel region BDR, the pixels of the first emission region BA and the pixels of the second emission region BB can emit light through gamma compensation curves having different maximum luminances. The second emission region BB can emit light having a luminance defined by a first gamma compensation curve with a maximum luminance equal to or less than the maximum luminance of the first pixel region NML. The first emission region BA can emit light having a luminance defined by a second gamma compensation curve with a maximum luminance equal to or less than the maximum luminance of the second pixel region UDC. The maximum luminance defined by the second gamma compensation curve can be higher than the maximum luminance of the first gamma compensation curve. As described above, the pixels of the first emission region BA and the second emission region BB emit light through the first gamma compensation curve and the second gamma compensation curve having different maximum luminances within the boundary pixel region BDR. Therefore, even if a color difference between them is recognized due to the difference in color coordinates between the first pixel region NML and the second pixel region UDC, as Figure 27 shown, the color difference can be improved by gradually changing the color coordinate values and the effect of luminance (gray scale effect).

[0173] Digital gamma technology and analog gamma technology can be used to control the maximum luminance of pixels. In the present disclosure, by using a multi-phase gamma compensation voltage, multi-phase gamma compensation curves having different maximum luminances can be used. For example, as Figure 28As shown, the programmable gamma IC can generate a gamma reference voltage within a single gamma reference voltage range (PGMA range), which can obtain a luminance equal to or greater than the maximum luminance of the second pixel region UDC. The timing controller 130 can modulate the gamma characteristic of the pixel data by using a digital gamma compensation technique utilizing the first and second look-up tables (LUTs). The first look-up table includes data (or gamma compensation values) defining a first gamma compensation curve of voltage-luminance within a range less than or equal to the maximum luminance of the first pixel region NML. The second look-up table includes data (or gamma compensation values) defining a second gamma compensation curve of voltage-luminance within a range less than or equal to the maximum luminance of the second pixel region UDC. In Figure 28 "NML GMA" is the luminance range defined by the first gamma compensation curve. "UDC GMA" is the luminance range defined by the second gamma compensation curve.

[0174] The timing controller 130 can input the pixel data of the pixels to be written to the first pixel region NML into the first look-up table to modulate the pixel data of the pixels to be written to the first pixel region NML. The timing controller 130 can input the pixel data of the pixels set in the second emission region BB of the boundary pixel region BDR into the first look-up table to modulate the pixel data of the pixels to be written to the second emission region BB of the boundary pixel region BDR.

[0175] The timing controller 130 can input the pixel data of the pixels set in the emission region A of the second pixel region UDC into the second look-up table to modulate the pixel data of the pixels to be written to the emission region A of the second pixel region UDC. The timing controller 130 can input the pixel data of the pixels set in the first emission region BA of the boundary pixel region BDR into the second look-up table to modulate the pixel data of the pixels to be written to the first emission region BA of the boundary pixel region BDR. When the pixel data is input to the look-up table, the gamma compensation value data stored at the address indicated by the pixel data is output. Therefore, the timing controller 130 can modulate the gamma characteristic of the pixel data by using the first look-up table and the second look-up table.

[0176] The objects to be achieved by the above-described present disclosure, the means for achieving the objects, and the advantages and effects of the present disclosure do not specify the essential features of the claims. Therefore, the scope of the claims is not limited to the disclosure of the present disclosure.

[0177] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited thereto and can be implemented in many different forms without departing from the technical concept of the present disclosure. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the technical concept of the present disclosure. The scope of the technical concept of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Therefore, it should be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative in all respects and do not limit the present disclosure.

[0178] The present invention provides the following inventive concepts:

[0179] 1. A display panel, the display panel including a first pixel region, a second pixel region, and a boundary pixel region disposed between the first pixel region and the second pixel region,

[0180] wherein the boundary pixel region includes:

[0181] a plurality of first emission regions; and

[0182] a plurality of second emission regions,

[0183] wherein each of the plurality of first emission regions and the plurality of second emission regions includes one or more pixels,

[0184] the second pixel region includes a plurality of emission regions,

[0185] at least one of the plurality of second emission regions is disposed between the adjacent first emission regions,

[0186] the maximum brightness of the first emission region decreases as the distance from the second pixel region increases, and the maximum brightness of the second emission region increases as the distance from the second pixel region increases, and

[0187] the separation distance between the first emission region of the boundary pixel region and the emission region of the second pixel region is constant at the boundary between the boundary pixel region and the second pixel region.

[0188] 2. The display panel according to inventive concept 1, wherein the maximum brightness of the first emission region is lower than the maximum brightness of the second pixel region and higher than the maximum brightness of the first pixel region, and

[0189] the maximum brightness of the second emission region is lower than the maximum brightness of the second pixel region and lower than the maximum brightness of the first pixel region.

[0190] 3. The display panel according to inventive concept 1, wherein light travels through the second pixel region to an optical element disposed below the display panel.

[0191] 4. The display panel according to inventive concept 1, wherein a difference between a maximum luminance of the first emission region and a maximum luminance of the second emission region decreases as a distance from the second pixel region increases.

[0192] 5. The display panel according to inventive concept 1, wherein a distance between adjacent ones of the first emission regions is equal to a distance between adjacent ones of the emission regions in the second pixel region.

[0193] 6. The display panel according to inventive concept 5, wherein a distance between an emission region of an adjacent second pixel region and a first emission region of the boundary pixel region is equal to a distance between adjacent ones of the emission regions in the second pixel region.

[0194] 7. The display panel according to inventive concept 1, wherein each of the first emission region and the second emission region includes a plurality of sub-pixels having different colors, and

[0195] among sub-pixels of the same color, a number of sub-pixels provided in the second emission region is an integer multiple of a number of sub-pixels provided in the first emission region.

[0196] 8. The display panel according to inventive concept 7, wherein among sub-pixels of the same color, a number of sub-pixels provided in the second emission region is greater than a number of sub-pixels provided in the first emission region by an integer multiple of the number of sub-pixels provided in the first emission region.

[0197] 9. The display panel according to inventive concept 1, wherein a pixel density of the boundary pixel region is the same as a pixel density of the first pixel region and is higher than a pixel density of the second pixel region.

[0198] 10. The display panel according to inventive concept 1, wherein a pixel density of a part of the boundary pixel region adjacent to the second pixel region is lower than a pixel density of the first pixel region and is equal to or higher than a pixel density of the second pixel region.

[0199] 11. The display panel according to inventive concept 1, wherein pixels of the first pixel region and pixels provided in the second emission region of the boundary pixel region emit light having a luminance defined by a first gamma compensation curve,

[0200] pixels of the second pixel region and pixels provided in the first emission region of the boundary pixel region emit light having a luminance defined by a second gamma compensation curve, and

[0201] The maximum brightness of the second gamma compensation curve is higher than the maximum brightness of the first gamma compensation curve.

[0202] 12. A display device, comprising:

[0203] A display panel including a first pixel region, a second pixel region, and a boundary pixel region disposed between the first pixel region and the second pixel region; and

[0204] A display panel driver configured to write pixel data of an input image into pixels disposed in the pixel regions of the display panel, wherein

[0205] The second pixel region includes a plurality of unit emission regions, and

[0206] The boundary pixel region includes a plurality of unit emission regions, wherein

[0207] Each of the plurality of unit emission regions in the second pixel region includes an emission region and a non-emission region,

[0208] Each of the plurality of unit emission regions in the boundary pixel region has the same size as the unit emission regions in the second pixel region, and

[0209] Each of the plurality of unit emission regions in the boundary pixel region includes a first emission region and a second emission region, wherein

[0210] The distance between the first emission regions spaced apart from each other is equal to the distance between the emission regions in the second pixel region, and the second emission region is between the first emission regions,

[0211] The maximum brightness of the first emission region decreases as the distance from the second pixel region increases, and the maximum brightness of the second emission region increases as the distance from the second pixel region increases, and

[0212] The separation distance between the first emission region in the boundary pixel region and the emission region in the second pixel region is constant at the boundary between the boundary pixel region and the second pixel region.

[0213] 13. The display device according to inventive concept 12, wherein the maximum brightness of the first emission region is lower than the maximum brightness of the second pixel region and higher than the maximum brightness of the first pixel region, and

[0214] The maximum brightness of the second emission region is lower than the maximum brightness of the second pixel region and lower than the maximum brightness of the first pixel region.

[0215] 14. The display device according to inventive concept 12, wherein light travels through the second pixel region to an optical element disposed below the display panel.

[0216] 15. The display device according to inventive concept 12, wherein a difference between a maximum luminance of the first emission region and a maximum luminance of the second emission region decreases as a distance from the second pixel region increases.

[0217] 16. The display device according to inventive concept 12, wherein each of the first emission region and the second emission region includes a plurality of sub-pixels having different colors, and

[0218] for each color, a number of sub-pixels disposed in the first emission region and a number of sub-pixels disposed in the second emission region differ by an integer multiple.

[0219] 17. The display device according to inventive concept 12, wherein pixels of the first pixel region and pixels of the second emission region disposed in the boundary pixel region emit light having a luminance defined by a first gamma compensation curve,

[0220] pixels of the second pixel region and pixels of the first emission region disposed in the boundary pixel region emit light having a luminance defined by a second gamma compensation curve, and

[0221] a maximum luminance of the second gamma compensation curve is higher than a maximum luminance of the first gamma compensation curve.

[0222] 18. A mobile terminal, comprising:

[0223] a display panel including a first pixel region, a second pixel region, and a boundary pixel region disposed between the first pixel region and the second pixel region;

[0224] a display panel driver configured to write pixel data of an input image into pixels disposed in a pixel region of the display panel; and

[0225] an optical element disposed below the second pixel region of the display panel, wherein,

[0226] the second pixel region includes a plurality of unit emission regions, and

[0227] the boundary pixel region includes a plurality of unit emission regions, wherein,

[0228] each of the plurality of unit emission regions of the second pixel region includes an emission region and a non-emission region,

[0229] Each of the plurality of unit emission regions in the boundary pixel region has the same size as the unit emission region of the second pixel region, and

[0230] Each of the plurality of unit emission regions in the boundary pixel region includes a first emission region and a second emission region, wherein,

[0231] The distance between the first emission regions spaced apart from each other is equal to the distance between the emission regions of the second pixel region, wherein the second emission region is between the first emission regions,

[0232] The maximum brightness of the first emission region decreases as the distance from the second pixel region increases, and the maximum brightness of the second emission region increases as the distance from the second pixel region increases, and

[0233] The separation distance between the first emission region of the boundary pixel region and the emission region of the second pixel region is constant at the boundary between the boundary pixel region and the second pixel region.

[0234] 19. The mobile terminal according to inventive concept 18, wherein the maximum brightness of the first emission region is lower than the maximum brightness of the second pixel region and higher than the maximum brightness of the first pixel region,

[0235] The maximum brightness of the second emission region is lower than the maximum brightness of the second pixel region and lower than the maximum brightness of the first pixel region, and

[0236] The difference between the maximum brightness of the first emission region and the maximum brightness of the second emission region decreases as the distance from the second pixel region increases.

[0237] 20. The mobile terminal according to inventive concept 18, wherein the pixels of the first pixel region and the pixels in the second emission region provided in the boundary pixel region emit light having a brightness defined by a first gamma compensation curve,

[0238] The pixels of the second pixel region and the pixels in the first emission region provided in the boundary pixel region emit light having a brightness defined by a second gamma compensation curve, and

[0239] The maximum brightness of the second gamma compensation curve is higher than the maximum brightness of the first gamma compensation curve.

[0240] 21. The mobile terminal according to inventive concept 18, wherein each of the first emission region and the second emission region includes a plurality of sub-pixels having different colors, and

[0241] For each color, the number of sub-pixels set in the first emission region and the number of sub-pixels set in the second emission region differ by an integer multiple.

Claims

1. A display panel, the display panel includes a first pixel region, a second pixel region, and a boundary pixel region disposed between the first pixel region and the second pixel region, wherein, The boundary pixel region includes: a plurality of first emission regions; and a plurality of second emission regions, wherein each of the first emission region and the second emission region includes one or more pixels, the second pixel region includes a plurality of emission regions, at least one of the second emission regions is disposed between the first emission regions adjacent to each other, the maximum brightness of the first emission region decreases as the distance from the second pixel region increases, and the maximum brightness of the second emission region increases as the distance from the second pixel region increases, and the separation distance between the first emission region of the boundary pixel region and the emission region of the second pixel region is constant at the boundary between the boundary pixel region and the second pixel region, and wherein the pixels of the first pixel region and the pixels in the second emission region disposed in the boundary pixel region emit light having a brightness defined by a first gamma compensation curve, the pixels of the second pixel region and the pixels in the first emission region disposed in the boundary pixel region emit light having a brightness defined by a second gamma compensation curve, and the maximum brightness of the second gamma compensation curve is higher than the maximum brightness of the first gamma compensation curve.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein, The maximum brightness of the first emission region is lower than the maximum brightness of the second pixel region and higher than the maximum brightness of the first pixel region, and the maximum brightness of the second emission region is lower than the maximum brightness of the second pixel region and lower than the maximum brightness of the first pixel region.

3. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein, Light travels through the second pixel region to an optical element disposed below the display panel.

4. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein, The difference between the maximum brightness of the first emission region and the maximum brightness of the second emission region decreases as the distance from the second pixel region increases.

5. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein, The distance between the first emission regions adjacent to each other is equal to the distance between the emission regions adjacent to each other in the second pixel region.

6. The display panel according to claim 5, wherein, The distance between the emission regions of the second pixel region adjacent to each other and the first emission region of the boundary pixel region is equal to the distance between the emission regions adjacent to each other in the second pixel region.

7. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the first emission region and the second emission region includes a plurality of sub-pixels having different colors, and among the sub-pixels of the same color, the number of sub-pixels disposed in the second emission region is an integer multiple of the number of sub-pixels disposed in the first emission region.

8. The display panel according to claim 7, wherein, The integer multiple is two or more times.

9. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein, The pixel density of the boundary pixel region is the same as that of the first pixel region and higher than that of the second pixel region.

10. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein, The pixel density of a part of the boundary pixel region adjacent to the second pixel region is lower than that of the first pixel region and equal to or higher than that of the second pixel region.

11. A display device, comprising: A display panel, the display panel includes a first pixel region, a second pixel region, and a boundary pixel region disposed between the first pixel region and the second pixel region; and A display panel driver configured to write pixel data of an input image into pixels provided in a pixel region of the display panel, wherein, the second pixel region includes a plurality of unit emission regions, and the boundary pixel region includes a plurality of unit emission regions, wherein, each of the unit emission regions in the second pixel region includes an emission region and a non-emission region, each of the unit emission regions in the boundary pixel region has the same size as the unit emission regions in the second pixel region, and each of the unit emission regions in the boundary pixel region includes a first emission region and a second emission region, wherein, the distance between the first emission regions spaced apart from each other is equal to the distance between the emission regions in the second pixel region, wherein the second emission region is between the first emission regions, the maximum luminance of the first emission region decreases as the distance from the second pixel region increases, and the maximum luminance of the second emission region increases as the distance from the second pixel region increases, and the separation distance between the first emission region in the boundary pixel region and the emission region in the second pixel region is constant at the boundary between the boundary pixel region and the second pixel region, and wherein, pixels in the first pixel region and pixels provided in the second emission region in the boundary pixel region emit light having a luminance defined by a first gamma compensation curve, pixels in the second pixel region and pixels provided in the first emission region in the boundary pixel region emit light having a luminance defined by a second gamma compensation curve, and the maximum luminance of the second gamma compensation curve is higher than the maximum luminance of the first gamma compensation curve.

12. The display device according to claim 11, wherein, The maximum luminance of the first emission region is lower than the maximum luminance of the second pixel region and higher than the maximum luminance of the first pixel region, and the maximum luminance of the second emission region is lower than the maximum luminance of the second pixel region and lower than the maximum luminance of the first pixel region.

13. The display device according to claim 11, wherein, Light travels through the second pixel region to an optical element provided below the display panel.

14. The display device according to claim 11, wherein, The difference between the maximum luminance of the first emission region and the maximum luminance of the second emission region decreases as the distance from the second pixel region increases.

15. The display device according to claim 11, wherein, Each of the first emission region and the second emission region includes a plurality of sub-pixels having different colors, and for each color, the number of sub-pixels provided in the first emission region and the number of sub-pixels provided in the second emission region differ by an integer multiple.

16. A mobile terminal, comprising: A display panel including a first pixel region, a second pixel region, and a boundary pixel region provided between the first pixel region and the second pixel region; A display panel driver configured to write pixel data of an input image into pixels provided in the pixel region of the display panel; and An optical element provided below the second pixel region of the display panel, wherein, the second pixel region includes a plurality of unit emission regions, and The boundary pixel region includes a plurality of unit emission regions, wherein, each of the unit emission regions in the second pixel region includes an emission region and a non-emission region, each of the unit emission regions in the boundary pixel region has the same size as the unit emission regions in the second pixel region, and each of the unit emission regions in the boundary pixel region includes a first emission region and a second emission region, wherein, the distance between the first emission regions spaced apart from each other is equal to the distance between the emission regions in the second pixel region, and the second emission region is between the first emission regions, the maximum brightness of the first emission region decreases as the distance from the second pixel region increases, and the maximum brightness of the second emission region increases as the distance from the second pixel region increases, and the separation distance between the first emission region in the boundary pixel region and the emission region in the second pixel region is constant at the boundary between the boundary pixel region and the second pixel region, and wherein, the pixels in the first pixel region and the pixels in the second emission region provided in the boundary pixel region emit light having a brightness defined by a first gamma compensation curve, the pixels in the second pixel region and the pixels in the first emission region provided in the boundary pixel region emit light having a brightness defined by a second gamma compensation curve, and the maximum brightness of the second gamma compensation curve is higher than the maximum brightness of the first gamma compensation curve.

17. The mobile terminal according to claim 16, wherein, The maximum brightness of the first emission region is lower than the maximum brightness of the second pixel region and higher than the maximum brightness of the first pixel region, the maximum brightness of the second emission region is lower than the maximum brightness of the second pixel region and lower than the maximum brightness of the first pixel region, and the difference between the maximum brightness of the first emission region and the maximum brightness of the second emission region decreases as the distance from the second pixel region increases.

Images