Pixel luminance compensating unit, flat panel display device having the same and method of adjusting a luminance curve for respective pixels

A flat panel display device having a plurality of pixels, the device comprising:

• a display panel;
• a scan driving unit configured to provide a scan signal to the display panel;
• a data driving unit configured to provide a data signal to the display panel;
• a pixel luminance compensating unit configured to receive a measured luminance curve having a plurality of luminance values measured from pixels of the display panel during light emission and to use the measured luminance curve to compensate the luminance of the pixels corresponding to a portion of an entire grey level region of the measured luminance curve;
• and
• a timing control unit configured to control the scan driving unit, the data driving unit, and the pixel luminance compensating unit,
• wherein the pixel luminance compensating unit includes:
• an uncompensated gray-level region processing unit configured to generate first output-data by processing first input-data corresponding to a first portion of an input luminance curve corresponding to an uncompensated gray-level region;
• a compensated gray-level region processing unit configured to generate second output-data by processing second input-data corresponding to a second portion of the input luminance curve corresponding to a compensated gray-level region;
• and
• an interpolated gray-level region processing unit configured to generate third output-data by processing third input-data corresponding to a third portion of the input luminance curve corresponding to an interpolated gray-level region,
• wherein the interpolated gray-level region processing unit is configured to generate the third portion by interpolating between the first portion and the second portion,
• wherein the first output-data, the second output-data and the third output-data are continuously connected along a gray level axis of the measured input luminance curve and are generated based on the luminance values of respective first, second and third portions, and
• wherein the interpolated gray-level region is between the compensated gray-level region and the uncompensated gray-level region with respect to the gray-level axis.

A method of adjusting a luminance curve for respective pixels included in a display panel, the method comprising:

• detecting a luminance curve having a plurality of luminance values measured from the pixels of the display panel during light emission, the measured luminance curve corresponding to an entire gray-level region for the respective pixels;
• checking a first portion of the measured luminance curve corresponding to an uncompensated gray-level region for the respective pixels;
• adjusting a second portion of the measured luminance curve corresponding to an compensated gray-level region for the respective pixels;
• and
• generating a third portion of the measured luminance curve corresponding to an interpolated gray-level region for the respective pixels by interpolating between the first portion and the second portion,
• wherein the first, second and third portions are continuously connected along a gray level axis of the measured input luminance curve, and
• wherein the interpolated gray-level region is between the compensated gray-level region and the uncompensated gray-level region with respect to the gray-level axis.