OLED Display with Six Emitter Types for Power Reduction

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

White OLED displays suffer from efficiency losses due to the use of color filters, which reduce radiant efficiency to approximately one-third of the white emitter's efficiency, and existing methods to improve efficiency have limited effectiveness.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating three gamut-defining emitters (red, green, blue) and three additional emitters (cyan, magenta, yellow) with higher radiant efficiencies, allowing for the production of high-probability colors using the additional emitters while reserving gamut-defining emitters for low-probability colors, thereby reducing power consumption and heat generation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If color filters are used in white OLED displays to produce full-color images, then color gamut is improved, but radiant efficiency deteriorates to approximately one-third of the white emitter's efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecolor gamutVSAvoidradiant efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The display is segmented into six separate emitter types (red, green, blue gamut-defining emitters and cyan, magenta, yellow additional emitters) instead of using a single white emitter with color filters. Each emitter type is optimized for specific color ranges, eliminating the need for filters and improving overall radiant efficiency while maintaining color gamut.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The six emitter types serve multiple functions: the three gamut-defining emitters (red, green, blue) provide the primary color range, while the three additional emitters (cyan, magenta, yellow) fill in high-probability color regions. This multi-functional emitter system replaces the traditional white emitter plus color filter combination, achieving both full color capability and high efficiency.

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

2Ease of manufacture

If traditional white OLED with color filters is used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but power consumption increases due to efficiency losses

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the fundamental parameter of emitter configuration from a single white emitter to six specialized emitters with different spectral characteristics. This parameter change enables direct light emission at the desired wavelengths without filter absorption, dramatically reducing power consumption while maintaining manufacturability through similar OLED fabrication processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If high color gamut is achieved using narrow bandpass color filters, then color accuracy is improved, but radiant efficiency further deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecolor accuracyVSAvoidradiant efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the color filtering function entirely by replacing it with directly emitting colored OLEDs. Instead of using narrow bandpass filters that block most light, the system uses six emitter types that directly emit the required colors, eliminating the energy loss associated with filter absorption while maintaining or improving color accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

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

This approach significantly reduces power consumption, increases display lifetime, and eliminates the need for heat sinks by utilizing more efficient emitters to produce a wider range of colors with lower power requirements.

Implementation Method 1

An organic light-emitting diode device, also called an OLED, commonly includes an anode, a cathode, and an organic electroluminescent (EL) unit sandwiched between the anode and the cathode

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectroluminescence: Electroluminescence

Data Source

PatentEP2678857B1OLED display with reduced power consumption
Publication Date: 2018.03.07 GLOBAL OLED TECHNOLOGY LLC
  • EP2678857B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2678857B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2678857B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

Methods for displaying an image on a color display having a target display white point luminance and chromaticity, and including three gamut- defining emitters defining a display gamut and two or more additional emitters which emit light within the display gamut; the method including receiving a three- component input image signal; transforming the three-component input image signal to a five-or-more component drive signal; and providing the drive signal to display an image corresponding to the input image signal. One method provides a reproduced luminance value higher than the sum of the respective luminance values of the three components of the input signal when reproduced with the gamut-defining emitters. Another method provides reduced power in an OLED display including a white-emitting layer with three color filters for gamut-defining emitters and two or more additional color filters for three additional within-gamut emitters.