How to Choose the Right Components for Your Display Module

By Mohamed Haider, Business Development Manager for New Vision Display

With the passing of time, we have seen many technology improvements in the display space such as TN, FSTN and TFT LCD displays, thereby giving us a multitude of choices. We have also seen functionality enhancements, as mentioned by Jeff Albin in his April 2016 

article, “https://goo.gl/3ZQRFc “.

In this fast paced world with so many technological improvements, it can be difficult to understand the benefits of each type of display. Far too often, a display type becomes the buzzword of the year and everyone wants it for his or her product without a true understanding of the technology and its pros and cons. Do we really take the time to understand what we need or are we too consumed with the big picture to spend time on the details early on?

This is when a well-versed, respected and experienced LCD module manufacturer, such as New Vision Display can help. NVD can provide the guidance necessary to wade through the multitude of choices. All too often, companies end up specifying a particular display without understanding whether other options may be better suited to their needs. This is because they haven’t thoroughly evaluated the end user’s expectations and instead make assumptions based on what they think is best – resulting in over-engineered or under-performing products. This has great implications on cost, design cycles and – potentially – user experience. Optical bonding of cover lenses is one example of this mistake. While it sounds like a must have it may not always be required.

The questions companies need to ask before engaging in a display project are as simple as:

• What type and size of display do I need?
• Do I need a reflective or transmissive display?
• What functionality am I expecting?
• What resolution is required to meet current and future needs?
• How many years do I plan to continue making this product?
• What type of interface is required?
• What level of backlight brightness do I need?
• Does my display module need a touch panel?
• What is my operating temperature range?
• Do I need an extra layer of protection from a glass cover lens supplier?

The above list is not a complete list of questions, but food for thought – enough to get the design process moving on solid ground. These basic questions help display module manufacturers quickly whittle down the choices to a handful. This does not mean that further adjustments are not required, but it makes the process of choosing the correct display smoother and less cumbersome.

Source: https://goo.gl/Emo1Gv

A Brief History of the LCD: From Carrot Cholesterol to TFTs with Capacitive Touchscreens

By Lincoln Ritchie, Business Development Manager at New Vision Display

Liquid crystals are a class of molecular compounds which have one or more phases between the solid crystalline phase (like salt) and the isotropic liquid phase (like water). In 1888, the Austrian biologist Friedrich Reinitzer first discovered that certain derivatives of cholesterol (acetate, benzoate, etc.) extracted from carrots seemed to have two melting points: One from solid crystal into a milky fluid, and a second from the milky fluid into a clear fluid. (I was fascinated to learn that not only animals synthesize cholesterol, but of greater consequence are the unique properties of such molecules and their importance to applications science.) Together with the physicist Otto Lehman, Reinitzer concluded that the ‘intermediate fluid’ had crystalline characteristics.

In the early 70s – almost simultaneously – Martin Schadt and Wolfgang Helfrich, as well as James Fergasson with support by Alfred Saupe, developed TN displays, which quickly found widespread application in Swiss and Japanese wrist watches.  In 1984, Terry Scheffer and J. Nehring published and patented super twisted nematic LCDs, which allowed much higher information content in passive displays. Also in the 80’s, Clark and Lagerwall developed ferroelectric liquid crystals. In the early 90s, the type of liquid crystal the Reinitzer discovered (Cholesteric Liquid Crystals) found its way into display applications.

In 1972, T. Peter Brody and his team at Westinghouse developed the first AM (Active Matrix) LCD displays, employing thin film transistors in each picture element to independently control the state of the liquid crystal in each pixel. Today, virtually all color LCD panels manufactured are of the AM type.

Twenty years later, in 1992 NEC and Hitachi became the first AM LCD manufacturers to use IPS technology. This was a breakthrough for large-screen LCDs with acceptable visual performance for flat-panel computer screens and television applications. By the end of 2007, LCD television sales surpassed those of CRTs for the first time. Within one year, the CRT was considered obsolete for television manufacturing and just about every other practical application.

At around the same time that LCDs were overtaking CRTs in television application, Apple launched their original iPhone equipped with a revolutionary user interface (UI) primarily enabled through a custom LCD panel with a projected capacitive touchscreen. Today, the vast majority of smart phones and tablets employ the same display/touch module integration as the central component of their UI.

Article Source: https://goo.gl/GUbneK

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