OLED Pixel Circuit Reset Sub-Circuit for Afterimage Elimination

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Solution Overview

Problem

OLED displays experience short-term afterimages when switching between grayscale images due to the magnetic hysteresis effect of the drive thin film transistor, leading to brightness inconsistencies and reduced display quality.

Innovation Solution

A pixel circuit design incorporating a reset sub-circuit, driving sub-circuit, write sub-circuit, compensation sub-circuit, and light emission control sub-circuit, where the reset sub-circuit sets the driving transistor to an OFF-Bias state, ensuring consistent gate-source voltage and compensating for threshold voltage drift, thereby stabilizing the driving current and eliminating afterimages.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If the drive thin film transistor operates during grayscale image switching, then the display can show different brightness levels, but the magnetic hysteresis effect causes short-term afterimages and brightness inconsistencies

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebrightness uniformityVSAvoiddisplay quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by resetting the driving transistor to an OFF-Bias state before the light emission phase. This reset operation preemptively eliminates the magnetic hysteresis effect by ensuring the transistor starts from a known, consistent state, thereby preventing short-term afterimages and brightness inconsistencies before they can occur during grayscale image switching.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the reset sub-circuit resets the driving transistor to OFF-Bias state, then threshold voltage drift is compensated and driving current is stabilized, but the circuit complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedriving current stabilityVSAvoidcircuit structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The reset sub-circuit is designed to perform multiple functions: it resets the driving transistor to OFF-Bias state, compensates for threshold voltage drift, and stabilizes the driving current. By making the reset sub-circuit multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate dedicated circuits for each function, thereby mitigating the increase in overall circuit complexity while achieving reliable driving current stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Illumination intensity

If all driving transistors are maintained in the same OFF-Bias state during reset, then brightness consistency across sub-pixels is achieved, but the reset operation time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebrightness consistencyVSAvoidreset time
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by selectively resetting only the necessary components (driving transistors) to the OFF-Bias state while leaving other parts of the circuit operational. This targeted approach ensures brightness consistency across sub-pixels by uniformizing the critical driving elements without requiring a complete system reset, thereby reducing the overall reset time while maintaining brightness uniformity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution effectively eliminates short-term afterimages by maintaining all driving transistors in the same OFF-Bias state during reset, ensuring consistent brightness across sub-pixels and improving display refresh rates without the need for maintaining the previous image frame.

Implementation Method 1

a light emitting device (L)... a driving sub-circuit (20) configured to drive the light emitting device (L)... generate a driving current to flow through the light emitting device (L) so that the light emitting device (L) emits light

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectroluminescence: Electroluminescence

Implementation Method 2

wherein one terminal of the capacitor (Cst) is connected to a first voltage terminal (ELVDD) and the other terminal of the capacitor (Cst) is connected to a gate electrode of the driving transistor (DTFT)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCapacitance: Capacitance

Data Source

PatentEP3675100B1Pixel circuit and driving method thereof, and display device
Publication Date: 2024.07.24 BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO LTD
  • EP3675100B1 patent drawingFigure 1a~1b
  • EP3675100B1 patent drawingFigure 1c~1d
  • EP3675100B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a pixel circuit and a method of driving the same, and a display device. A pixel circuit, including: a light emitting device; a driving sub-circuit configured to drive the light emitting device, the driving sub-circuit including a driving transistor configured to generate a driving current flowing through the light emitting device so that the light emitting device emits light; and a reset sub-circuit configured to reset a voltage between a gate electrode and a second electrode of the driving transistor.