DISPLAY PANEL AND METHOD OF TESTING THE SAME

• US 20160260367A1
• Filed: 08/11/2015
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jang, Hwan-Soo, Kwak, Won-Kyu, Lee, Seung-Kyu
• Granted Patent: US 10,366,643 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0426 Layout of electrodes and connections
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0291 Details of output amplifiers or buffers arranged for use in a driving circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0297 Special arrangements with multiplexing or demultiplexing of display data in the drivers for data electrodes, in a pre-processing circuitry delivering display data to said drivers or in the matrix panel, e.g. multiplexing plural data signals to one D/A converter or demultiplexing the D/A converter output to multiple columns
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/006 Electronic inspection or testing of displays and display drivers, e.g. of LED or LCD displays testing individual LED's G01R31/2635; testing lamps G01R31/44; testing of optical features of LCD displays G02F1/1309
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3291 in which the data driver supplies a variable data voltage for setting the current through, or the voltage across, the light-emitting elements

Abstract

A display panel includes: a display including pixel columns electrically connected to data lines; a non-display area adjacent the display; a test circuit configured to receive a lighting test signal passing through at least a portion of the non-display area and to transfer the lighting test signal to the data lines in response to a test control signal; and a switch configured to receive a data signal from an external component and to transfer the data signal to the data lines in response to a switching signal.

Claims

1. A display panel comprising:

a display comprising pixel columns electrically connected to data lines;

a non-display area adjacent the display;

a test circuit configured to receive a lighting test signal passing through at least a portion of the non-display area and to transfer the lighting test signal to the data lines in response to a test control signal; and

a switch configured to receive a data signal from an external component and to transfer the data signal to the data lines in response to a switching signal.

2. The display panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a driving integrated circuit configured to generate the test control signal and the switching signal and to supply a reference signal to the switch.

3. The display panel of claim 2, wherein the driving integrated circuit is configured to generate the test control signal and the switching signal to alternately supply the lighting test signal and the reference signal to the data lines.

4. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the test circuit comprises:

a lighting test line extending through the portion of the non-display area and electrically connected to one pixel column at an outermost of the display via the data lines.

5. The display panel of claim 4, wherein the display comprises:

a first pixel column in which a first pixel emitting a first color light and a second pixel emitting a second color light are alternately arranged;

a second pixel column in which the first pixel and the second pixel are alternately arranged in reverse order of the first pixel column; and

a third pixel column in which a third pixel emitting a third color light is arranged,

wherein the lighting test line is electrically connected to the third pixel column.

6. The display panel of claim 5, wherein the display further comprises a fourth pixel column in which the third pixel is arranged, the fourth pixel column being electrically connected to the test circuit via a resistor of which a resistance is equal to a resistance of the lighting test line.

7. The display panel of claim 4, wherein the test circuit comprises:

a test transistor configured to electrically connect the lighting test line with the data lines in response to the test control signal.

8. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the switch comprises:

a data distribution circuit configured to selectively supply the data signal to the pixel column.

9. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the switch comprises:

a switching transistor configured to transfer the data signal to the data lines in response to the switching signal.

10. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the switch is implemented in a driving integrated circuit.

11. The display panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a pre-test circuit electrically connected to the switch in parallel and configured to supply a pre-lighting test signal to the data lines in response to a pre-test control signal.

12. The display panel of claim 11, wherein the pre-test circuit comprises a pre-lighting test line extending through the portion of the non-display area.

13. The display panel of claim 11, wherein the data lines are initialized by the lighting test signal during a first period, and the pre-lighting test signal is written into the data lines during a second period that is different from the first period.

14. A display panel comprising:

a display comprising pixel columns electrically connected to data lines;

a non-display area adjacent the display;

a first test circuit configured to receive a first lighting test signal passing through at least a portion of the non-display area and to transfer the first lighting test signal to the data lines in response to a first test control signal;

a switch configured to receive a data signal from an external component and to transfer the data signal to the data lines in response to a switching signal;

a second test circuit electrically connected to the switch in parallel and configured to supply a second lighting test signal to the data lines in response to a second test control signal; and

a driving integrated circuit configured to generate the first test control signal, the second test control signal, and the switching signal.

15. The display panel of claim 14, wherein the driving integrated circuit is configured to control the second test circuit to be in an off state using the second lighting test signal, the driving integrated circuit is configured to control the first test circuit to supply the first lighting test signal to the data lines during a first period using the first test control signal, and the driving integrated circuit is configured to control the switch to supply a reference voltage to the data lines during a second period that is different from the first period using the switching signal.

16. The display panel of claim 15, further comprising:

a scan driver configured to control the pixel columns to receive the reference voltage from the data lines during the second period.

17. The display panel of claim 14, wherein the second test circuit comprises a second lighting test line extending through at least the portion of the non-display area.

18. A method of testing a display panel, the display panel comprising a display comprising pixel columns electrically connected to data lines and a non-display area adjacent the display, the method comprising:

supplying a first lighting test signal passing through at least a portion of the non-display area to a first test circuit that transfers the first lighting test signal to the data lines;

transferring a reference signal being supplied from a driving integrated circuit to the data lines using a switch; and

transferring the first lighting test signal to the data lines using the first test circuit.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein supplying the first test circuit with the first lighting test signal comprises:

controlling a second test circuit to be in an off state, and

wherein the second test circuit is electrically connected to the switch in parallel and supplies the data lines with a second lighting signal passing through at least the portion of the non-display area.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the transferring of the first lighting test signal comprises:

supplying a first test control signal to the first test circuit; and

transferring the first lighting test signal to the data lines in response to the first test control signal.