Patent ID: 7636074
Filing Date: 2009-12-22
Classification: G09G

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for compensating for changes in the threshold voltage (Vth) of a drive transistor in a pixel drive circuit in an active matrix OLED display, comprising: a) the active matrix OLED display having a data line, a power supply line, and the pixel drive circuit, the pixel drive circuit having an OLED light-emitting pixel, a capacitor, and two transistors, a drive transistor and a switch transistor, the drive transistor having source, drain, and gate electrodes, and the switch transistor having source, drain, and gate electrodes, wherein the capacitor is connected between the gate electrode of the drive transistor and the power supply line; b) the source or drain electrode of the drive transistor being electrically connected to the power supply line, and the other of the source or drain electrode being electrically connected to the OLED light-emitting pixel; c) the source or the drain electrode of the switch transistor being electrically connected to the gate electrode of the drive transistor, and the other of the source or drain electrode being electrically connected to the data line; d) a first voltage supply for selectively applying a first voltage to the power supply line which is either positive or negative for causing current to flow in a first direction through the drive transistor which causes the OLED light-emitting pixel to produce light in response to the signal voltage; e) a second voltage supply for selectively applying a second voltage to the power supply line opposite in polarity to the first voltage so that current will flow through the drive transistor in a second direction opposite to the first direction, so that a first potential between the gate electrode and the power supply line shifts until the first potential causes the drive transistor to turn off, whereby the first potential is stored on the capacitor; f) first means for producing a threshold-voltage-related signal on the data line which is a function of the first potential stored on the capacitor by activating the switch transistor, whereby the threshold-voltage-related signal is produced on the data line; g) an analog-to-digital converter responsive to the threshold-voltage-related signal for producing first data corresponding to the threshold- voltage-related signal; h) a memory for storing one or more value(s) of the first data; i) second means for measuring a first value of the first data corresponding to an initial threshold voltage when the pixel drive circuit is new and storing the first value of the first data in the memory; j) third means for measuring a second value of the first data corresponding to a current threshold voltage after the threshold voltage of the drive transistor has changed with usage; and k) a processor responsive to the stored first value of the first data and to the second value of the first data for receiving a signal voltage and calculating an adjustment to the signal voltage using the first and second values of the first data and for applying the adjustment to the signal voltage through the switch transistor of the pixel drive circuit to the gate electrode of the drive transistor of the pixel drive circuit to compensate for changes in the threshold voltage of the drive transistor.