Apparatus for evaluating lifetime of display panel and method for evaluating lifetime of display panel

An apparatus for evaluating a lifetime of a display panel including first pixels disposed in a first display area and second pixels disposed in a second display area, the apparatus comprising:

• a controller configured to drive the first pixels with a first grayscale and the second pixels with a second grayscale during an aging period, calculate a first current supplied to the display panel in each of periods in which the first pixels are driven with a third grayscale and the second pixels are driven with the second grayscale, calculate a second current supplied to the display panel in each of periods in which the first pixels and the second pixels are driven with the second grayscale, and calculate a third current supplied to the display panel in each of periods in which the first pixels are driven with the second grayscale and the second pixels are driven with a fourth grayscale;
• a luminance calculator configured to calculate a first luminance of the first display area in each of the periods in which the first pixels are driven with the third grayscale and the second pixels are driven with the second grayscale, and calculate a second luminance of the second display area in each of the periods in which the first pixels are driven with the second grayscale and the second pixels are driven with the fourth grayscale;
• and
• a corrector configured to calculate a first correction current based on the calculated first current and the calculated second current, and calculate a second correction current based on the calculated third current and the calculated second current,
• wherein the controller calculates a first efficiency lifetime based on the calculated first correction current and the calculated first luminance, calculates a second efficiency lifetime based on the calculated second correction current and the calculated second luminance, and evaluates the lifetime of the display panel based on the first efficiency lifetime and the second efficiency lifetime.