Display device and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a display device according to embodiments of the present disclosure may comprise the operations of: generating first compensation data on the basis of pre-stored first mura data, and displaying a test image according to the first compensation data; generating second mura data on the basis of the displayed test image, and generating second compensation data on the basis of the second mura data; and generating integrated compensation data on the basis of the sum of the first compensation data and the second compensation data, and compensating for the luminance of the display device on the basis of the integrated compensation data.

Description

Display device and manufacturing method thereof

[0001] Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a technique for compensating the brightness of a display device, and more particularly, to a display device that compensates for brightness to remove stains or mura (e.g., non-uniformity) and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0002] With the advancement of digital technology, various types of electronic devices, such as smart TVs, smartphones, tablet PCs, electronic notebooks, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and wearable devices, are being used. In particular, these various types of electronic devices can be implemented as display devices that output images to a display panel based on input data.

[0003] Display devices can convert various information into visual form and present it to users. Typically, a display device may include multiple components to display various information using electrical signals. For example, the multiple components may include multiple pixels included in a display panel. In an ideal display panel, when the same signal is provided to multiple pixels, the pixels can output light with the same brightness. However, in actual display panels, due to errors in the manufacturing process or various environmental factors, the multiple pixels may not output light with the same brightness for the same signal. For example, in a display panel, unevenness in brightness between multiple pixels can cause visible smears or mura. Unevenness in the brightness of a display panel can be expressed as mura on the display panel. Therefore, a technology (or method) is needed to eliminate smears or mura visible on a display panel by compensating for the brightness between multiple pixels.

[0004] Various embodiments of the present disclosure can provide a display device and a manufacturing method thereof that perform brightness compensation based on mura sensed in a manufacturing process of the display device and compensation data reflecting mura sensed in a driving process of the display device.

[0005] A method for manufacturing a display device according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include an operation of generating first compensation data based on previously stored first mura data, an operation of displaying a test image based on the first compensation data, an operation of generating second mura data based on the displayed test image, an operation of generating second compensation data based on the second mura data, an operation of generating integrated compensation data based on a sum of the first compensation data and the second compensation data, and an operation of compensating for brightness of the display device based on the integrated compensation data.

[0006] In one embodiment, the first Mura data may include data of Cell Mura sensed in a manufacturing process of the display device.

[0007] In one embodiment, the second Mura data may include data of a backlight unit Mura (BLU Mura) based on an operating process of the display device.

[0008] In one embodiment, the first compensation data includes luminance correction data for at least one gray level of at least one unit pixel group included in the display device, and can be used for 4-plane compensation for the first gray level, the second gray level, the third gray level, and the fourth gray level of the at least one unit pixel group.

[0009] In one embodiment, the second compensation data includes luminance correction data for at least one gray level of at least one unit pixel group included in the display device, and can be used for 5-plane compensation for a first gray level, a second gray level, a third gray level, a fourth gray level, and a fifth gray level of the at least one unit pixel group.

[0010] In one embodiment, the first compensation data and the second compensation data may include at least one of a LUT map including a compensation value corresponding to Mura data, magnitude data including a luminance compensation amount for at least one unit pixel group, and offset data for adjusting the luminance compensation amount.

[0011] In one embodiment, the operation of generating the integrated compensation data may include an operation of extracting the LUT map, the magnitude data, and the offset data by decoding the first compensation data and the second compensation data, an operation of summing the LUT map of the first compensation data and the LUT map of the second compensation data based on a summing algorithm, an operation of summing the magnitude data of the first compensation data and the magnitude data of the second compensation data based on the summing algorithm, and an operation of summing the offset data of the first compensation data and the offset data of the second compensation data based on the summing algorithm.

[0012] In one embodiment, the operation of generating the integrated compensation data may further include the operation of encoding at least one of the summed LUT map, the summed magnitude data, and the summed offset data.

[0013] In one embodiment, the operation of compensating the luminance of the display device may include the operation of receiving the integrated compensation data including at least one of a LUT map, magnitude data, and offset data, the operation of controlling the luminance of the image corresponding to the input data based on the offset data, and the operation of controlling the gradation of the image corresponding to the input data based on at least one of the LUT map and the magnitude data.

[0014] In one embodiment, the method may further include an operation of displaying the test image according to the integrated compensation data, an operation of generating supplementary luminance data based on the displayed test image, an operation of generating third mura data based on the supplementary luminance data, an operation of generating third compensation data based on the third mura data, an operation of generating supplementary integrated compensation data by summing the first compensation data, the second compensation data, and the third compensation data, and an operation of additionally compensating the luminance of the display device based on the supplementary integrated compensation data.

[0015] A display device according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include a display panel configured to display an image, a timing controller configured to control a data signal and a gate signal, and a luminance compensation unit configured to compensate for luminance of the image displayed on the display panel. The luminance compensation unit may be configured to generate first compensation data based on pre-stored first mura data. The display panel may be configured to display a test image according to the first compensation data. The luminance compensation unit may be configured to generate second mura data based on luminance data including a luminance distribution of the test image to be displayed, generate second compensation data based on the second mura data, generate integrated compensation data based on a sum of the first compensation data and the second compensation data, and compensate for luminance of the image displayed on the display panel based on the integrated compensation data.

[0016] In one embodiment, the first Mura data may include data of Cell Mura sensed in a manufacturing process of the display device.

[0017] In one embodiment, the second Mura data may include data of a backlight unit Mura (BLU Mura) based on an operating process of the display device.

[0018] In one embodiment, the first compensation data and the second compensation data may include luminance correction data for at least one gray level of at least one unit pixel group included in the display device.

[0019] In one embodiment, the luminance compensation unit may generate the first compensation data used for 4-plane compensation for the first grayscale level, the second grayscale level, the third grayscale level, and the fourth grayscale level of the at least one unit pixel group, and may generate the second compensation data used for 5-plane compensation for the first grayscale level, the second grayscale level, the third grayscale level, the fourth grayscale level, and the fifth grayscale level of the at least one unit pixel group.

[0020] In one embodiment, the first compensation data and the second compensation data may include at least one of a LUT map including a compensation value corresponding to Mura data, magnitude data including a luminance compensation amount for at least one unit pixel group, and offset data for adjusting the luminance compensation amount.

[0021] In one embodiment, the luminance compensation unit extracts the LUT map, the magnitude data, and the offset data by decoding the first compensation data and the second compensation data, and based on a summing algorithm, adds the LUT map of the first compensation data and the LUT map of the second compensation data, and based on the summing algorithm, adds the magnitude data of the first compensation data and the magnitude data of the second compensation data, and based on the summing algorithm, adds the offset data of the first compensation data and the offset data of the second compensation data.

[0022] In one embodiment, the luminance compensation unit can generate the integrated compensation data by encoding at least one of the summed LUT map, the summed magnitude data, and the summed offset data.

[0023] In one embodiment, the timing controller may be configured to receive the integrated compensation data including at least one of a LUT map, magnitude data, and offset data from the luminance compensation unit, control luminance of the image corresponding to the input data based on the offset data, and control grayscale of the image corresponding to the input data based on at least one of the LUT map and the magnitude data.

[0024] In one embodiment, the display panel can display the test image according to the integrated compensation data. The luminance compensation unit can be configured to generate third mura data based on complementary luminance data including a luminance distribution of the test image to be displayed, generate third compensation data based on the third mura data, generate complementary integrated compensation data by summing the first compensation data, the second compensation data, and the third compensation data, and further compensate for the luminance of the image displayed on the display panel based on the complementary integrated compensation data.

[0025] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the display device of the present disclosure and the manufacturing method thereof can generate first compensation data for removing cell mura generated in a manufacturing process, generate second compensation data for removing backlight unit mura sensed in a driving step, and perform luminance compensation based on integrated compensation data based on the sum of the first compensation data and the second compensation data.

[0026] Therefore, the display device of the present disclosure and its manufacturing method can improve the problem of mura being recognized and enhance display quality by removing mura of the display device through integrated compensation data in which compensation data for cell mura and compensation data for backlight unit mura are combined.

[0027] The effects that can be obtained from the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly derived and understood by those skilled in the art to which the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure pertain from the following description. In other words, unintended effects resulting from implementing the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can also be derived by those skilled in the art from the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] The foregoing and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

[0029] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a display system according to one or more embodiments.

[0030] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary operational sequence of a display system according to one or more embodiments.

[0031] FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary components of a display device according to one or more embodiments.

[0032] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block configuration of a display device according to one or more embodiments.

[0033] FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate mura and mura data on a display panel according to one or more embodiments.

[0034] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary block configuration of a luminance compensation unit according to one or more embodiments.

[0035] FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary operation sequence of a luminance compensation unit according to one or more embodiments.

[0036] FIG. 8 illustrates exemplary compensation data of a display device according to one or more embodiments and exemplary output images to which the compensation data is applied.

[0037] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary method of manufacturing a display device according to one or more embodiments.

[0038] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In connection with the description of the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals may be used for identical or similar components. Furthermore, in the drawings and related descriptions, descriptions of well-known functions and configurations may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

[0039] It will be understood that "sum" or "total" is not limited to addition in the mathematical sense, but can mean any form of combination or aggregation.

[0040] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a display system (1) according to one or more embodiments, and FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary operation sequence of a display system (1) according to one or more embodiments.

[0041] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a display system (1) may include a display device (10) that displays an image corresponding to input data, a luminance measuring device (20) that measures luminance of the display device (10), and a luminance compensation device (30) that compensates for the luminance of the display device (10). The display system (1) may perform luminance compensation of the display device (10) based on compensation data that reflects both mura sensed (e.g., identified) in a manufacturing process and mura sensed (e.g., identified) in a driving step of the display device (10).

[0042] Meanwhile, although FIG. 1 illustrates that the display device (10) and the luminance compensation device (30) are separate, independent components, the display device (10) and the luminance compensation device (30) may be implemented as a single component, depending on the embodiment. For example, the luminance compensation unit (30) may be included (e.g., integrated) in the display device (10) and may be a part of the display device (10) (e.g., the luminance compensation unit (600) of FIG. 3).

[0043] According to an example, in operation 210, the luminance measuring device (20) can generate luminance data based on a test image. For example, the luminance measuring device (20) can measure the luminance of a test image displayed by the display device (10). The luminance measuring device (20) can generate luminance data based on the luminance of each position of the display device (10) with respect to the test image. The luminance measuring device (20) can transmit the luminance data to the luminance compensation device (30).

[0044] The luminance measuring device (20) may be at least one of a contact measuring device and a non-contact measuring device. For example, the luminance measuring device (20) may be a contact measuring device that contacts the surface of the display device (10) using at least one of a measuring sensor and a probe, and measures the luminance change characteristics of the display device (10) using an optical sensor. For example, the luminance measuring device (20) may be a non-contact measuring device that measures the luminance change characteristics of the display device (10) at a predetermined distance from the display device (10) based on an optical system including at least one of a lens, a camera, and a spectrometer. For example, the luminance measuring device (20) may be implemented as a CCD (charged coupled device) camera. In this case, the luminance measuring device (20) includes a plurality of CCD imaging elements, and each of the CCD imaging elements may measure the luminance change characteristics in response to emitting pixels. For example, the luminance measuring device (20) may be a spectral photometer that measures the luminance change characteristics of the display device (10) by detecting the intensity of light passing through an optical filter. For example, the luminance measuring device (20) may be a photoelectric colorimeter that measures the luminance change characteristics of the display device (10) by separating the light of the test image into wavelength components and detecting the intensity of each wavelength component.

[0045] According to an example, in operation 220, the luminance compensation device (30) can generate data related to mura (or mura data) based on luminance data. For example, the luminance compensation device (30) can receive luminance data from the luminance measuring device (20). For example, the luminance compensation device (30) can analyze a luminance change according to a position of a test image displayed on the display device (10) based on the luminance data. The luminance compensation device (30) can generate mura data including position information and luminance information for a mura area having high luminance compared to a surrounding area or low luminance compared to a surrounding area.

[0046] According to an example, in operation 230, the luminance compensation device (30) can generate compensation data based on the mura data. For example, the luminance compensation device (30) can generate compensation data for compensating the luminance for each position of the display device (10) based on position information and luminance information for the mura area included in the mura data generated based on the luminance data. As another example, the luminance compensation device (30) can generate compensation data for compensating the luminance for each position of the display device (10) based on position information and luminance information for the mura area included in the mura data received from the display device (10).

[0047] In one embodiment, the luminance compensation device (30) can generate first compensation data for removing (e.g., correcting or improving) cell mura generated during the manufacturing process. In addition, the luminance compensation device (30) can generate second compensation data for removing backlight unit mura sensed during the driving step of the display device (10). For example, the compensation data may include luminance correction data for at least one gray level of at least one unit pixel group included in the display device (10). The luminance compensation device (30) can transmit the compensation data to the display device (10).

[0048] According to an example, in operation 240, the display device (10) can display an image whose brightness is compensated. For example, the display device (10) can receive compensation data from the brightness compensation device (30). For example, the display device (10) can control the brightness of an image corresponding to input data based on the compensation data. For example, the display device (10) can control the grayscale of an image corresponding to input data based on the compensation data.

[0049] In one embodiment, the display device (10) can control the luminance (e.g., brightness and grayscale) of an image corresponding to input data based on integrated data in which first compensation data for removing (e.g., correcting or improving) cell mura generated in the manufacturing process and second compensation data for removing backlight unit mura sensed in the driving step are added (or combined).

[0050] In this way, the display system (1) of the present disclosure can eliminate (or reduce) the problem of mura being recognized and improve display quality by eliminating mura of the display device (10) through integrated compensation data.

[0051] FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary components of a display device (10) according to one or more embodiments.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 3, the display device (10) may include a display panel (100), a timing controller (200), a data driver (300), and a gate driver (400). In addition, according to an embodiment, the display device (10) may further include a brightness compensator (600). According to various embodiments, the display panel (100), the timing controller (200), the data driver (300), and the gate driver (400) may be implemented as a single module. For example, the timing controller (200), the data driver (300), and the gate driver (400) may be mounted on a circuit film such as a TCP (Tape Carrier Package), a COF (Chip On Film), an FPC (Flexible Print Circuit), and the like, and may be attached to the display panel (100) by a TAB (Tape Automatic Bonding) method, or may be mounted on a non-display area of ​​the display panel (100) by a COG (Chip On Glass) method.

[0053] The display panel (100) may include a plurality of signal lines, for example, a plurality of gate lines (GL), a plurality of data lines (DL), and a plurality of sensing lines (SL), and may include a plurality of pixels (PX), for example, a pixel array, connected to the plurality of signal lines and arranged in a matrix form. The plurality of pixels (PX) display one color among red, green, and blue, and a pixel displaying red, a pixel displaying green, and a pixel displaying blue may be sequentially and repeatedly arranged. In addition, a user may perceive light of one color that is a mixture of red, green, and blue lights displayed from adjacent pixels (PX). According to various embodiments, pixels displaying red, green, and blue may be referred to as a red subpixel, a green subpixel, and a blue subpixel, respectively, and a group of red subpixels, green subpixels, and blue subpixels may be referred to as a pixel. For example, the plurality of pixels (PX) may display one color among red, green, blue, and white. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the configuration of colors that pixels can display can be freely adopted within the scope of conventional technology.

[0054] The display panel (100) may be, for example, an OLED display panel in which each pixel (PX) includes a light-emitting element, for example, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the display panel (100) may be at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED), a light emitting polymer display (LPD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), an active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED), or a flexible LED (FLED).

[0055] The timing controller (200) can control the overall operation of the display device (10), and can control the driving timing of the data driver (300) and the gate driver (400) based on control commands received from an external processor, for example, a main processor of an electronic device equipped with the display device (10), or an image processing processor. The timing controller (200) can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software, and for example, the timing controller (200) can be implemented by digital logic circuits and registers that perform the functions described below.

[0056] The timing controller (200) provides a data driver control signal to the data driving unit (300), and in response to the data driver control signal, the operation and operation timing of the driving unit (310) and the sensing unit (320) of the data driving unit (300) can be controlled. The timing controller (200) can provide a gate driver control signal to the gate driving unit (400). The gate driving unit (400) can drive a plurality of gate lines (GL) of the display panel (100) in response to the gate driver control signal. The timing controller (200) can perform various image processing for image data received from an external processor, such as changing the format of image data, reducing power consumption, and compensating for brightness. For example, the image data can include input data corresponding to each pixel (PX), and the timing controller (200) can perform data compensation on the image data of each pixel (PX) in order to compensate for the brightness of the plurality of pixels (PX) of the display panel (100), and provide the compensated data to the data driving unit (300). For this purpose, the timing controller (200) may be equipped with a storage unit (not shown). For example, the storage unit of the timing controller (200) may be implemented as a memory.

[0057] In one embodiment, the timing controller (200) may receive compensation data from the luminance compensation unit (600). For example, the luminance compensation unit (600) may have the same configuration as the luminance compensation unit (30) of FIG. 1. For example, the compensation data may include a compensation value for removing mura based on mura data of the display panel (100). For example, the timing controller (200) may perform data compensation on image data based on the compensation data and provide the compensated data to the data driver (300). Specifically, the timing controller (200) may divide a plurality of pixels (PX) into a plurality of pixel blocks (PXB) and apply compensation data in units of the plurality of pixel blocks (PXB), thereby controlling the luminance and grayscale of the image data.

[0058] The data driving unit (300) may include a driving unit (310) and a sensing unit (320). The data driving unit (300) may drive a plurality of pixels (PX) through a plurality of data lines (DL) based on a data driver control signal received from the timing controller (200). The data driving unit (300) may sense (e.g., measure) electrical characteristics of a plurality of pixels (PX) through a plurality of sensing lines (SL) based on a data driver control signal received from the timing controller (200).

[0059] The driving unit (310) can convert image data received from the timing controller (200), for example, compensated input data for each of a plurality of pixels (PX), into digital-to-analog, and provide the converted analog signals, which are driving signals, to the display panel (100) through a plurality of data lines (DL).

[0060] The timing controller (200) can operate the data driving unit (300) in a display mode for displaying an image or a sensing mode for performing a sensing (e.g., detection) process (or operation). For example, in the display mode, the driving unit (310) can convert image data provided from the timing controller (200) into driving signals, e.g., driving voltages, and output the driving voltages to the data lines (DL) of the display panel (100). For example, in the sensing mode, the driving unit (310) can convert internally set sensing data provided from the timing controller (200) into driving signals (e.g., driving voltages), and output the driving voltages to the data lines (DL) of the display panel (100).

[0061] In one embodiment, the timing controller (200) may transmit a sensing control signal to the driving unit (310) to perform a sensing process, whereby the sensing unit (320) may sense the electrical characteristics of each pixel (PX) through the sensing line (SL) and transmit the measured sensing value to the timing controller (200). The sensing control signal may include a sensing cycle, a position of a sensing pixel block, a sensing method, etc. The sensing method may include, for example, at least one of measuring a threshold voltage of a driving transistor provided in the pixel (PX), measuring a potential difference across a light-emitting element provided in the pixel (PX), and measuring an amount of current flowing in the light-emitting element or mobility.

[0062] The sensing unit (320) can receive a sensing signal, such as a pixel voltage or pixel current, representing the electrical characteristics of each of a plurality of pixels (PX) through a plurality of sensing lines (SL), and convert the sensing signal from analog to digital to generate sensing data. For example, the sensing data can include at least one of a threshold voltage of a driving transistor provided in a pixel, a potential difference across a light-emitting element provided in a pixel, and an amount of current flowing in a light-emitting element or mobility.

[0063] The gate driver (400) can drive a plurality of gate lines (GL) of the display panel (100) using a gate driver control signal received from the timing controller (200). Based on the gate driver control signal, the gate driver (400) can provide pulses of gate-on voltage (e.g., scan voltage or sensing-on voltage) to the corresponding gate line (GL) during the corresponding driving period of each of the plurality of gate lines (GL).

[0064] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block configuration of a display device (10) according to one or more embodiments.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 4, a display device (10) according to one embodiment may include the timing controller (200), data driver (300), and gate driver (400) described above, and may include a main controller (500) that controls the timing controller (200), a communication unit (530) that communicates with an external device, a source input unit (540) that receives a source image, a speaker (510) that outputs sound, and an input unit (520) that receives a command for controlling the display device (10) from a user.

[0066] The input unit (520) may include a button or a touch pad provided in one area of ​​the display device (10), and when the display panel (100) is implemented as a touch screen, the input unit (520) may include a touch pad provided on the front of the display panel (100). In addition, the input unit (520) may also include a remote controller for receiving user input remotely and / or a microphone for receiving voice commands.

[0067] The input unit (520) can receive various commands from the user to control the display device (10), such as turning the display device (10) on / off, increasing / decreasing the volume, selecting a channel, adjusting the screen, and changing various settings. The speaker (510) can output sound synchronized with the image output from the display panel (100) under the control of the main controller (500).

[0068] The communication unit (530) can transmit or receive necessary data by communicating with a relay server or other electronic devices. The communication unit (530) can adopt at least one of various wireless communication methods such as 3G (3rd Generation), 4G (4th Generation), wireless LAN, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Wi-Fi Direct (WFD), Ultra wideband (UWB), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), and Z-Wave. In addition, the communication unit (530) can also adopt a wired communication method such as Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), PCI-express, and Universe Serial Bus (USB).

[0069] The source input unit (540) can receive a source signal input from a game console, a set-top box, a USB, an antenna, etc. Accordingly, the source input unit (540) can include at least one selected from a group of source input interfaces including a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable port, a USB port, an antenna, etc. The source signal received by the source input unit (540) can be processed by the main controller (500) and converted into a form that can be output by the display panel (100) and the speaker (510).

[0070] The main controller (500) and the timing controller (200) may include at least one memory that stores programs and various data for performing the operations described above and the operations described below, and at least one processor that executes the stored programs. The memory constituting the main controller (500) and the timing controller (200) may include volatile memory such as Static Random Access Memory (S-RAM) and Dynamic Random Access Memory (D-RAM), and non-volatile memory such as Read Only Memory (ROM) and Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM). The memory may include one memory element or may include a plurality of memory elements.

[0071] At least one processor constituting the main controller (500) and the timing controller (200) can execute a program stored in each memory. According to various embodiments, the main controller (500) can process a source signal input through the source input unit (540) and / or a source signal wirelessly received through the communication unit (530) to generate an image signal corresponding to the input source signal. For example, the main controller (500) can include a source decoder, a scaler, an image enhancer, and a graphics processor. The source decoder can decode a source signal compressed in a format such as MPEG (Moving Picture Expert Group), and the scaler can output image data of a desired resolution through resolution conversion.

[0072] An image enhancer can improve the image quality of image data by applying various correction techniques. The graphic processor can distinguish the pixels of the image data into RGB data and output them together with a control signal, such as a synchronization signal for display timing on the display panel (100). That is, the main controller (500) can output image data and a control signal corresponding to the source signal. In addition, the main controller (500) can change the frame rate of the image data to correspond to the frame rate of the source signal. Through this, the display device (10) can enable the frame rate to be varied according to the source signal, thereby enabling the source signal to be output without being damaged.

[0073] Depending on various embodiments, the main controller (500) and the timing controller (200) may be provided on separate boards or on the same board. For example, the main controller (500) may be provided on the main board, and the timing controller (200) may be provided on the drive board, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0074] FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate Mura and Mura Data on a display panel (100) according to one or more embodiments.

[0075] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 5a and 5b, the display system (1) can detect Mura recognized in the display device (10) using a luminance measuring device (20), and generate Mura data including position information and luminance information for the Mura area using a luminance compensation device (30).

[0076] The luminance measuring device (20) can measure the luminance at each location according to the test area by capturing a test image displayed on the display device. On the display panel (100), a Mura area may exist with different luminance for the same test image. For example, as shown in Fig. 5a, the Mura area has different luminance from the surrounding area, which may degrade the display quality.

[0077] The luminance compensation device (30) can digitize a mura area based on luminance data. For example, the luminance compensation device (30) can identify a mura area from the luminance data and generate mura data including positional information and luminance information for the mura area. As shown in Fig. 5b, the mura data can include luminance information for each pixel of the mura area according to its position on the display panel (100). For example, the luminance compensation device (30) can generate compensation data for controlling the luminance of the display device based on the mura data.

[0078] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary block configuration of a luminance compensation unit (600) according to one or more embodiments, FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary operation sequence of a luminance compensation unit (600) according to one or more embodiments, and FIG. 8 illustrates exemplary compensation data of a display device (10) according to one or more embodiments and an exemplary output image to which the compensation data is applied. Hereinafter, in FIGS. 6 to 8, a luminance compensation operation will be described focusing on the luminance compensation unit (600) included in the display device.

[0079] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the luminance compensation unit (600) (e.g., the luminance compensation unit (30) of FIG. 1) may include a storage unit (610) that stores data, a mura data generation unit (620) that generates mura data of the display device (10), a compensation data generation unit (630) that generates compensation data based on the mura data, and a calculation unit (640) that performs calculations for luminance compensation. Meanwhile, the luminance compensation unit (600) may be a component of the display device (10) (e.g., the luminance compensation unit (600) of FIG. 3) or may be an independent configuration separate from the display device (10) (e.g., the luminance compensation device (30) of FIG. 1).

[0080] The luminance compensation unit (600) can store first mura data (MD1) received from the display device (10) (operation 710), generate first compensation data (CD1) based on the first mura data (MD1) (operation 720), generate second mura data (MD2) based on luminance data (LD) received from the luminance measurement device (20) (operation 730), generate second compensation data (CD2) based on the second mura data (MD2) (operation 740), generate integrated compensation data (ICD) by adding the first compensation data (CD1) and the second compensation data (CD2) (operation 750), and compensate for the luminance of the display device (10) based on the integrated compensation data (ICD) (operation 760).

[0081] According to an example, in operation 710, the luminance compensation unit (600) can store the first Mura data (MD1) received from the display device (10). For example, the luminance compensation unit (600) can receive the first Mura data (MD1) from the display device (10). For example, the storage unit (610) can store the first Mura data (MD1) received from the display device (10). For example, the first Mura data (MD1) can include cell Mura generated in the manufacturing process of the display device (10). The storage unit (610) can transmit the first Mura data (MD1) to the compensation data generation unit (630).

[0082] According to an example, in operation 720, the luminance compensation unit (600) may generate first compensation data (CD1) based on the first mura data (MD1). For example, the compensation data generation unit (630) may generate the first compensation data (CD1) based on the first mura data (MD1). The first compensation data (CD1) may include at least one of a LUT (Lookup Table) map including a compensation value corresponding to cell mura generated in a manufacturing process of the display device (10), magnitude data including a luminance compensation amount for at least one unit pixel group, and offset data for adjusting the luminance compensation amount. For example, the LUT map (e.g., color map) may include a compensation value corresponding to cell mura when displaying an image according to input data. For example, the magnitude data may include a luminance compensation amount for each position of a unit pixel group considering cell mura. The offset data may include an adjustment value of the luminance compensation amount that takes into account the luminance difference between the cell mura region and the surrounding region and the luminance difference between pixels within the cell mura region.

[0083] For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the compensation data generation unit (630) can generate first compensation data (CD1) used for 4-plane compensation for the first grayscale level, the second grayscale level, the third grayscale level, and the fourth grayscale level of at least one unit pixel group (e.g., 8 pixels). For example, the first grayscale level can be any one of 0 to 16 gray. For example, the second grayscale level can be 32 gray. For example, the third grayscale level can be any one of 64 to 128 gray. For example, the fourth grayscale level can be any one of 192 to 224 gray.

[0084] The compensation data generation unit (630) can transmit the first compensation data (CD1) to the display device (10). The display device (10) can control the brightness and gradation of the image based on the first compensation data (CD1). For example, the display device (10) can display a test image to which the first compensation data (CD1) is applied.

[0085] According to an example, in operation 730, the luminance compensation unit (600) may generate second mura data (MD2) based on luminance data (LD) received from the luminance measurement device (20). For example, the luminance measurement device (20) may generate luminance data (LD) based on a test image displayed by the display device (10). The test image may be an image in which luminance (e.g., brightness and gradation) for cell mura is compensated based on the first compensation data (CD1). The luminance measurement device (20) may transmit the luminance data (LD) to the luminance compensation unit (600). The mura data generation unit (620) may receive the luminance data (LD) and generate second mura data (MD2) including position information and luminance information for a mura area having higher luminance than a surrounding area or lower luminance than a surrounding area based on the luminance data (LD). For example, the second Mura data (MD2) may include data of the backlight unit Mura (BLU Mura) based on the operating process of the display device (10). The Mura data generation unit (620) may transmit the second Mura data (MD2) to the compensation data generation unit (630).

[0086] According to an example, in operation 740, the luminance compensation unit (600) may generate second compensation data (CD2) based on the second mura data (MD2). For example, the compensation data generation unit (630) may generate the second compensation data (CD2) based on the second mura data (MD2). The second compensation data (CD2) may include at least one of an LUT map including a compensation value corresponding to the backlight unit mura sensed in the driving step of the display device (10), magnitude data including a luminance compensation amount for at least one unit pixel group, and offset data for adjusting the luminance compensation amount. For example, the LUT map may include a compensation value corresponding to the backlight unit mura when displaying an image based on input data. For example, the magnitude data may include a luminance compensation amount for each position of the unit pixel group in consideration of the backlight unit mura. The offset data may include an adjustment value of the luminance compensation amount that takes into account the luminance difference between the backlight unit mura area and the surrounding area and the luminance difference between pixels within the backlight unit mura area.

[0087] For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the compensation data generation unit (630) can generate second compensation data (CD2) used for 5-plane compensation for the first grayscale level, the second grayscale level, the third grayscale level, the fourth grayscale level, and the fifth grayscale level of at least one unit pixel group (e.g., 8 pixels). For example, the first grayscale level can be any one of 0 to 16 gray. For example, the second grayscale level can be 32 gray. For example, the third grayscale level can be any one of 64 to 128 gray. For example, the fourth grayscale level can be any one of 192 to 224 gray. For example, the fifth grayscale level can be 255 gray.

[0088] The compensation data generation unit (630) can transmit the first compensation data (CD1) and the second compensation data (CD2) to the calculation unit (640).

[0089] According to an example, in operation 750, the luminance compensation unit (600) can generate integrated compensation data (ICD) by summing (e.g., combining) the first compensation data (CD1) and the second compensation data (CD2). For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the operation unit (640) can generate integrated compensation data (ICD) by summing (e.g., combining) the first compensation data (CD1) and the second compensation data (CD2). The operation unit (640) can extract (or restore) the LUT map, the magnitude data, and the offset data included in each of the first compensation data (CD1) and the second compensation data (CD2) by decoding the first compensation data (CD1) and the second compensation data (CD2).

[0090] The calculation unit (640) can add (e.g., combine) the LUT map, the magnitude data, and the offset data of the first compensation data (CD1) and the second compensation data (CD2). For example, the calculation unit (640) can add the LUT map of the first compensation data (CD1) and the LUT map of the second compensation data (CD2) based on a summation algorithm. For example, the calculation unit (640) can add (e.g., combine) the magnitude data of the first compensation data (CD1) and the magnitude data of the second compensation data (CD2) based on a summation algorithm. For example, the calculation unit (640) can add the offset data of the first compensation data (CD1) and the offset data of the second compensation data (CD2) based on a summation algorithm.

[0091] The calculation unit (640) can generate integrated compensation data (ICD) by encoding the summed LUT map, the summed magnitude data, and the summed offset data. For example, the integrated compensation data (ICD) can include an LUT map including a compensation value corresponding to cell Mura generated in the manufacturing process of the display device (10) and backlight unit Mura sensed in the driving step of the display device (10), magnitude data including a luminance compensation amount for at least one unit pixel group, and offset data for adjusting the luminance compensation amount. The calculation unit (640) can transmit the integrated compensation data (ICD) to the timing controller (200) of the display device (10).

[0092] According to an example, in operation 760, the luminance compensation unit (600) can compensate for the luminance of the display device (10) based on the integrated compensation data (ICD). For example, the operation unit (640) can compensate for the luminance of the display device (10) by transmitting the integrated compensation data (ICD) to the timing controller (200) of the display device (10). For example, the timing controller (200) can receive the integrated compensation data (ICD) including at least one of a look-up table (LUT) map, magnitude data, and offset data from the luminance compensation unit (600). The timing controller (200) can control the luminance of the image corresponding to the input data based on the offset data. The timing controller (200) can control the gradation of the image corresponding to the input data based on the LUT map and the magnitude data.

[0093] In one embodiment, the display device (10) may perform additional luminance compensation after compensating the luminance of an image corresponding to input data based on integrated compensation data (ICD). For example, the display panel (100) may display the test image to which the integrated compensation data (ICD) is applied. For example, the luminance measuring device (20) may generate supplementary luminance data (LD) based on the test image of the display panel (100). For example, the luminance compensation unit (600) may generate third mura data based on the supplementary luminance data (LD) received from the luminance measuring device (20).

[0094] The luminance compensation unit (600) can generate supplementary integrated compensation data (ICD) based on the third Mura data. For example, the luminance compensation unit (600) can generate third compensation data based on the third Mura data. For example, the luminance compensation unit (600) can generate supplementary integrated compensation data (ICD) by summing (e.g., combining) the first compensation data (CD1), the second compensation data (CD2), and the third compensation data. For example, the luminance compensation unit (600) can additionally compensate for the luminance of the display device (10) by transmitting the supplementary integrated compensation data (ICD) to the timing controller (200).

[0095] Meanwhile, the additional luminance compensation of the display device (10) can be repeatedly performed, and in this case, by generating fourth compensation data, fifth compensation data, and Nth compensation data in addition to the third compensation data, the accuracy of the luminance compensation of the display device (10) can be increased.

[0096] In this way, the display device (10) of the present disclosure can generate first compensation data (CD1) for removing cell Mura generated in the manufacturing process, generate second compensation data (CD2) for removing backlight unit Mura sensed in the driving step, and perform luminance compensation based on integrated compensation data (ICD) based on the sum of the first compensation data (CD1) and the second compensation data (CD2).

[0097] Therefore, the display device (10) of the present disclosure can improve the problem of mura being recognized and enhance display quality by removing mura of the display device (10) through integrated compensation data (ICD) in which compensation data for cell mura and compensation data for backlight unit mura are combined.

[0098] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary method of manufacturing a display device (10) according to one or more embodiments.

[0099] Referring to FIG. 9, a method for manufacturing a display device of the present disclosure may generate first compensation data based on previously stored first Mura data (operation 910), display a test image to which the first compensation data is applied (operation 920), generate luminance data based on the displayed test image (operation 930), generate second Mura data based on the luminance data (operation 940), generate second compensation data based on the second Mura data (operation 950), generate integrated compensation data by adding the first compensation data and the second compensation data (operation 960), and compensate for luminance of the display device based on the integrated compensation data (operation 970).

[0100] For example, the first Mura data may include cell Mura generated during the manufacturing process of the display device. For example, the second Mura data may include backlight unit Mura sensed during the operating process of the display device.

[0101] In one embodiment, the first compensation data and the second compensation data may include at least one of a LUT map including a compensation value corresponding to Mura data, magnitude data including a luminance compensation amount for at least one unit pixel group, and offset data for adjusting the luminance compensation amount.

[0102] In one embodiment, the operation of generating the integrated compensation data may include an operation of extracting (e.g., obtaining) the LUT map, the magnitude data, and the offset data by decoding the first compensation data and the second compensation data, an operation of summing (e.g., combining) the LUT map of the first compensation data and the LUT map of the second compensation data based on a summing algorithm, an operation of summing (e.g., combining) the magnitude data of the first compensation data and the magnitude data of the second compensation data based on the summing algorithm, and an operation of summing (e.g., combining) the offset data of the first compensation data and the offset data of the second compensation data based on the summing algorithm.

[0103] In one embodiment, the operation of generating the integrated compensation data may include generating the integrated compensation data by encoding the summed LUT map, the summed magnitude data, and the summed offset data.

[0104] In this way, the method for manufacturing a display device of the present disclosure can eliminate (or reduce) the problem of mura being recognized and improve display quality by eliminating mura of the display device through integrated compensation data that combines (e.g., combines) compensation data for cell mura and compensation data for backlight unit mura. However, since this has been described above, a redundant description thereof will be omitted.

[0105] The display devices according to the various embodiments disclosed in this document may take various forms. The display devices may include, for example, portable communication devices (e.g., smartphones), computer devices, portable multimedia devices, portable medical devices, cameras, wearable devices, or home appliances. The display devices according to the embodiments of this document are not limited to the aforementioned devices.

[0106] The various embodiments of this document and the terminology used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the items, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, each of the phrases "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" can include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase among those phrases, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish one component from another, and do not limit the components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order). When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as "coupled" or "connected" to another component (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0107] The term "module" used in various embodiments of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integral component, or a minimum unit or part of such a component that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0108] Various embodiments of the present document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., built-in memory or external memory) readable by a machine (e.g., an electronic device). For example, a processor of the machine (e.g., an electronic device) may call at least one instruction among the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one instruction called. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-transitory' only means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain a signal (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and this term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently and cases where it is stored temporarily in the storage medium.

[0109] According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments disclosed in the present document may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store (e.g., Play Store™) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smart phones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

[0110] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

Claims

1. In a method for manufacturing a display device, An operation of generating first compensation data based on previously stored first Mura data; An operation of displaying a test image according to the first compensation data; An operation of generating second Mura data based on the test image being displayed; An operation of generating second compensation data based on the second Mura data; An operation of generating integrated compensation data based on the sum of the first compensation data and the second compensation data; and An operation for compensating the brightness of a display device based on the integrated compensation data; A method for manufacturing a display device.

2. In paragraph 1, The above first Mura data is, Containing data of Cell Mura based on the manufacturing process of the above display device, A method for manufacturing a display device.

3. In paragraph 1, The above second Mura data is, Containing data of the backlight unit Mura (BLU Mura) based on the operating process of the above display device, A method for manufacturing a display device.

4. In paragraph 1, The above first compensation data is, Contains luminance correction data for at least one gray level of at least one unit pixel group included in the display device, Used for 4-plane compensation for the first tone level, the second tone level, the third tone level, and the fourth tone level of at least one unit pixel group, A method for manufacturing a display device.

5. In paragraph 1, The above second compensation data is, Contains luminance correction data for at least one gray level of at least one unit pixel group included in the display device, Used for 5-plane compensation for the first tone level, the second tone level, the third tone level, the fourth tone level, and the fifth tone level of at least one unit pixel group, A method for manufacturing a display device.

6. In paragraph 1, The above first compensation data and the above second compensation data, A LUT map including a compensation value corresponding to the Mura data, a magnitude data including a luminance compensation amount for at least one unit pixel group, and at least one of offset data for adjusting the luminance compensation amount. A method for manufacturing a display device.

7. In paragraph 6, The action of generating the above integrated compensation data is: An operation of extracting the LUT map, the magnitude data, and the offset data by decoding the first compensation data and the second compensation data; An operation of adding the LUT map of the first compensation data and the LUT map of the second compensation data based on a summing algorithm; An operation of adding the magnitude data of the first compensation data and the magnitude data of the second compensation data based on the above summing algorithm; and An operation of adding the offset data of the first compensation data and the offset data of the second compensation data based on the above summing algorithm; A method for manufacturing a display device.

8. In paragraph 7, The action of generating the above integrated compensation data is: Further comprising an operation of encoding at least one of the summed LUT map, the summed magnitude data, and the summed offset data. A method for manufacturing a display device.

9. In paragraph 1, The operation of compensating the brightness of the above display device is as follows: An operation of receiving the integrated compensation data including at least one of a LUT map, magnitude data, and offset data; An operation for controlling the brightness of the image corresponding to the input data based on the offset data; and An operation for controlling the gradation of the image corresponding to the input data based on at least one of the LUT map and the magnitude data, A method for manufacturing a display device.

10. In paragraph 1, An action of displaying the test image according to the above integrated compensation data; An operation of generating complementary luminance data based on the test image being displayed; An operation of generating third Mura data based on the above complementary luminance data; An operation of generating third compensation data based on the third Mura data; An operation of generating complementary integrated compensation data by summing the first compensation data, the second compensation data, and the third compensation data; and Further comprising an operation of additionally compensating the brightness of the display device based on the supplementary integrated compensation data. A method for manufacturing a display device.

11. In the display device, A display panel configured to display an image; A timing controller configured to control a data signal and a gate signal; and Includes a brightness compensation unit configured to compensate for the brightness of the image displayed on the display panel, The above brightness compensation unit, configured to generate first compensation data based on the first Mura data stored in advance, The above display panel, It is configured to display a test image according to the above first compensation data, The above brightness compensation unit, Generating second Mura data based on luminance data including luminance distribution of the test image being displayed, Generate second compensation data based on the above second Mura data, Generate integrated compensation data based on the sum of the first compensation data and the second compensation data, configured to compensate the brightness of the image displayed on the display panel based on the integrated compensation data; Display device.

12. In paragraph 11, The above first Mura data is, Containing data of Cell Mura based on the manufacturing process of the above display device, Display device.

13. In paragraph 11, The above second Mura data is, Containing data of the backlight unit Mura (BLU Mura) based on the operating process of the above display device, Display device.

14. In paragraph 11, The above first compensation data and the above second compensation data, Containing luminance correction data for at least one gray level of at least one unit pixel group included in the display device, Display device.

15. In paragraph 14, The above brightness compensation unit, Generating the first compensation data used for 4-plane compensation for the first tone level, the second tone level, the third tone level, and the fourth tone level of the at least one unit pixel group, configured to generate the second compensation data used for 5-plane compensation for the first tone level, the second tone level, the third tone level, the fourth tone level, and the fifth tone level of the at least one unit pixel group, Display device.

Images