Device Protection Beyond Ruggedization

By Bob Lemmons, New Vision Display

Presented at the SID 2018 Exhibitors’ Forum on March 22, 2018

Smart phones, tablets, point of sale devices, medical equipment and other handheld devices are tools we use in our everyday lives. How many of you do not have a smart phone or tablet? Do the above image on the left look familiar to you? These devices have become part of our everyday lives, even something we are addicted to.

Displays and touch panels are key, critical components in the functionality of a wide range of handheld devices: Medical devices, point-of-sale terminals, smartphones, tablets and more. The display and touch panel is one of the first considerations design engineers make during the concept and development phase of a new product. In part, because they are one of the most costly components within the bill of materials. However, in many handheld devices, they are often left unprotected or else protected by bulky plastics bezels and enclosures (a.k.a. ruggedization).

Displays and touch panels are subject to two conditions which cause them to fail:

• Scratches, from daily wear-and-tear or use of a stylus, where dust particles can become embedded on the tip and scratch the device. These scratches can cause a crack to propagate, which can eventually render the device completely useless.
• Drops onto hard or sharp surfaces, which typically cause instantaneous fractures. (Click here to continue reading..........)

Standard vs Custom Display Modules – What’s Better for Your Project?

When considering a display module for your project, sooner or later you’ll have to answer the question: “Should I design around a standard module or have one customized for my application?” The question is straightforward enough, but considerations that weigh into the answer can be as varied as the LCD module applications themselves.  

Here are some tips, common misconceptions and answers to common questions that will help you with your decision.

 

One common misconception is that custom display modules cost more than standard “off-the-shelf” modules.

While the above holds true for NRE cost, module unit pricing is often equivalent or lower for custom LCD modules than for similar off-the-shelf product. Here’s why:

Standard display modules are often designed to maximize their implementation potential.

This can lead to high pin counts that allow for variable interface protocols, high output back lighting to maximize application potential and generally conservative mechanical design practices (patented components, robust EMI solutions, metal bracketing, incorporated drive circuitry, etc).

For many applications, design-specific changes can reduce unit production cost through application-specific simplification, sometimes significantly so.

What about the additional NRE cost to customize?

For most Passive Matrix LCD modules, New Vision Display can deliver a custom LCD (active area size and resolution), with custom back light, mechanical housing and electrical interface for a total NRE cost of less than $10k USD.

Likewise, NVD can customize the back light, housing and mechanical interface of an Active Matrix LCD module for an NRE cost of less than $10k USD.

In these cases, the design flexibility that customization allows for often justifies the modest NRE required. [click to continue reading...]

Ways to Enhance the Functionality of LCD Displays

      Every day, we swipe, pinch or zoom; LCD displays are part of our daily lives. We’ve grown accustomed to using them on mobile devices like cell phones and tablets, when we withdraw money from ATM machines, as we’re loading addresses into navigation devices, and on the dashboard in our cars. Virtually every industry uses displays: Military, consumer, medical, automotive, industrial and marine. In order to perform such vastly different environments, displays require some sort of enhancement.


 
   An LCD enhancement can be anything from adding a simple resistive, capacitive touch panel to adding EMI/RFI conductive coatings. These enhancements are what enable the display to meet specific customer, industry, and environmental performance expectations. Let’s take a look at some of the many LCD enhancements.

• Touch screen Integration: Adding a resistive or capacitive touch panel enables the display to be operated by touch.
• Optical Films:Adding films such as anti-reflective(AR), anti-glare(AG),or heat-rejecting(IR) enhance a display’s visibility in bright or outdoor conditions.
• Privacy Filters: A privacy filter prevents images on the display screen from being viewed from the side.
• Vandal-Resistant Glass: This is commonly used on ATMs, parking meters, and digital signage.
• EMI/RFIConductive Coatings: These protect the display from various types of atmospheric disturbance and are commonly used in medical applications.
• LED Backlighting Enhancements: Existing LED backlights can be replaced with brighter and/or longer-lasting LEDs to improve performance.
• Optical Bonding: By eliminating the air gap between the LCD and the other substrates, optical bonding enhances the display’s view-ability and ruggedness.
• Heaters:Adding a heater to the LCD allows it to work in extreme cold temperatures.
• Cover Lenses: Adding an additional layer of protective glass (i.e. Cover lens) reinforces the strength of the glass screen. Glass cover lenses can be made out of incredibly durable materials such as Corning® Gorilla® Glass.

      

 As you can see, many enhancements can be made to a LCD display so that it will meet the customer’s needs within their specific industry. No LCD can meet all the needs of every application. That’s why it’s important to know the requirements of your application and which types of displays and enhancements are available by your LCD Manufacturer during the design phase. With the right selection, your manufacturer can create the perfect LCD display module for your product.

Article Source: https://goo.gl/i8ZcGg