Organic light emitting display with reduced dead space

• US 8,508,438 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2010
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Suh, Mi-Sook
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): STERNBANE, LAURENCE J
• Application Number:
  US12/856,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20110248965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 345 76- 83, 345204-215, 345690-699, 349/143, 313483-512
• US Class Current: 345/76
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0426 Layout of electrodes and connections
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0465 Improved aperture ratio, e.g. by size reduction of the pixel circuit, e.g. for improving the pixel density or the maximum displayable luminance or brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3225 using an active matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/813 characterised by their shape
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/121 characterised by the geometry or disposition of pixel elements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/131 Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/35 comprising red-green-blue [RGB] subpixels
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/80515 characterised by their shape

Abstract

An organic light emitting display with a reduced dead space. The organic light emitting display includes a scan driver for supplying scan signals to a plurality of scan lines; a data driver for supplying data signals to a plurality of data lines; and a pixel region including a plurality of pixels at crossing regions of the scan lines with the data lines. The pixels include organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and pixel circuits for controlling currents flowing to the OLEDs. The scan lines are arranged to extend along a vertical direction of a screen realized in the pixel region. The data lines are arranged to extend along a horizontal direction of the screen. The pixels are configured to horizontally display an image on the screen.

Claims

1. An organic light emitting display, comprising:

a scan driver for supplying scan signals to a plurality of scan lines;

a data driver for supplying data signals to a plurality of data lines; and

a pixel region comprising a plurality of pixels at crossing regions of the scan lines with the data lines, the pixels comprising organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and pixel circuits for controlling currents flowing to the OLEDs,

wherein;

the scan lines are arranged to extend along a vertical direction of a screen realized in the pixel region;

the data lines are arranged to extend along a horizontal direction of the screen;

the pixels are unit pixels, each unit pixel comprising a red pixel, a green pixel, and a blue pixel arranged along the horizontal direction

the OLEDs comprise anode electrodes,

the pixel circuits are in pixel circuit regions,

the red pixel, the green pixel, and the blue pixel each comprise an anode electrode of the anode electrodes and a pixel circuit region of the pixel circuit regions, and

the pixel circuit region of the red pixel, the green pixel, or the blue pixel overlaps the anode electrodes of the other pixels of the corresponding one of the unit pixels.

2. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the pixels, major axes of the anode electrodes and major axes of the pixel circuit regions are arranged to cross each other.

3. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 2, wherein the OLEDs and the pixel circuits coupled to the OLEDs are arranged to at least partially overlap each other.

4. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the pixels, the anode electrodes are arranged in a pattern so that the anode electrodes are longer along the vertical direction than along the horizontal direction;

and the pixel circuit regions are configured so that the pixel circuit regions are longer along the horizontal direction than along the vertical direction.

5. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 4, wherein emission regions of the pixels are configured so that the emission regions are longer along the vertical direction than along the horizontal direction to correspond to the pattern of the anode electrodes.

6. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the red pixel, the green pixel, and the blue pixel of the unit pixel are commonly coupled to a same scan line of the scan lines arranged along a column, where the unit pixel is arranged; and

the red pixel, the green pixel, and the blue pixel of the unit pixel are respectively coupled to different data lines of the data lines along a row, where the unit pixel is arranged.

7. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 6, wherein the anode electrodes of the OLEDs included in the pixels each cross at least two data lines of the data lines.

8. The organic light emitting display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the scan driver is arranged in an upper or lower side of the pixel region.

9. The organic light emitting display device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of emission control lines for controlling emission time of the OLEDs, the emission control lines being configured to extend in parallel with the scan lines in the pixel region; and

an emission control driver for supplying emission control signals to the emission control lines, the emission controller being arranged in an upper or lower side of the pixel region.

10. The organic light emitting display device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the emission control driver is arranged to face the scan driver with the pixel region interposed therebetween.

11. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data driver is arranged on a left or right side of the pixel region.

12. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 11, wherein the data lines are directly coupled from the pixel region to the data driver via a wiring line region between the pixel region and the data driver without passing through an upper or lower side of the pixel region.

13. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the scan lines, the data lines, and pixel circuit regions, where the pixel circuits are formed, are configured as a portrait type panel, and the portrait type panel is configured to be rotated to extend along a horizontal direction; and

a major axis of the anode electrodes of the OLEDs positioned on the pixel circuit regions and a major axis of emission regions corresponding to the anode electrodes are rotated in a direction orthogonal to a major axis of the pixel circuit regions to horizontally display an image on the screen.

14. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pixel region comprising the plurality of pixels is configured to display an image on the screen realized in the pixel region in a landscape orientation.