KOE display technologies and applications: IPS, product features, medical and broadcast, extreme environments, outdoor, added value solutions, wide and standard format TFTs.
Originally developed and released by Hitachi in 1996, IPS was the first LCD technology to provide outstanding picture quality particularly when viewed at any viewing angle. IPS technology enables exceptional colour saturation, colour stability, contrast and black levels with a 176° wide vertical and horizontal viewing angle. IPS has been further enhanced and evolved into Super-IPS, Advanced-Super IPS and more recently IPS Pro.
IPS LCDs are extensively used by blue chip multi-national companies in the manufacture of high performance smartphones, tablets, monitors and televisions.
The diagram below illustrates the improved viewing angles of IPS Pro compared to alternative wide viewing angle technologies.
In particular it is important to note the viewing angles achievable at 50% contrast level. This is known as the Half Contrast Angle (HCA) which is a more realistic measurement of wide angle performance. The maximum contrast ratio is experienced when looking perpendicular to the screen.
"IPS-Pro has a much higher and more stable image performance over viewing angle than any other LCD technology"
Both medical and broadcast applications demand the best optical performance from a display. IPS Pro, the latest evolution of KOE's In-Plane-Switching technology, provides a highly stable colour image from any viewing angle. These display products offer excellent colour saturation with very high contrast ratios. The exceptional black levels combined with improved transmittance provide contrast ratios of up to 1350:1. These characteristics also mean that high brightness can be achieved without increasing the power consumption of the backlight.
All of KOE's Rugged+ displays are designed to function in challenging and harsh environmental conditions. Reliable and consistent operation under extreme temperature, mechanical shock and vibration is a necessity. The entire range of Rugged+ displays feature industrial environment operating specifications with high brightness, long-life LED backlights and will provide dependable operation between -30°C and +80°C.
Exceptional optical performance is maintained as many Rugged+ displays utilise KOE's IPS Pro technology, which delivers exceptional colour saturation, colour stability, contrast and black levels with a 176° wide vertical and horizontal viewing angle.
KOE's Rugged+ TFT displays are designed for high reliability medical, marine, aerospace, automotive and industrial applications.
Applications such as ATMs, Kiosks, Point of Sale terminals and ticketing machines are often found in high brightness outdoor environments. To ensure that graphical user interfaces are clear, concise and readable under bright ambient light conditions, KOE has developed sunlight readable displays that utilise high brightness 1000cd/m² LED backlights and anti-reflective polariser coatings.
KOE can offer added value solutions that enhance and improve display performance.
Developments in optical glass bonding techniques have now enabled KOE TFT LCD display modules to offer excellent readability in demanding ambient light conditions. The use of optical bonding technology coupled with an anti-reflection (AR) or anti-glare (AG) polariser can significantly improve the optical performance of the display. A TFT display featuring an optically bonded glass substrate and polariser coatings can reduce reflections to less than 0.2% by scattering and absorbing ambient light. Optical bonding technology has been successfully implemented on TFT displays used in challenging environments such as aerospace, marine, automotive, medical and industrial. It is also being viewed as a key display enhancement technology for facilitating the development of emerging products and designs.
Many applications and systems will require user inputs to be applied directly to the graphical interface via a touch panel. 4-wire resistive touch panels are available on KOE LCD display modules as standard user interface solutions. For applications requiring greater accuracy and reliability 5-wire resistive touch panel solutions are also available. A more recent and inspiring addition is capacitive touch panel technology.
Projected capacitive (P-cap) and surface capacitive (S-cap) touch panel solutions can be considered for applications which require a more robust interface solution offering highly accurate and more flexible gesture interface operations. KOE is able to offer a variety of touch panel solutions to meet the needs and demands of specific application requirements.
Traditional TFT technology and the migration of IPS technology to industrial and commercial displays enables KOE to offer an expanding portfolio of wide format aspect ratio TFT display solutions.
Wide format TFT displays will find use in many front panel, instrument console and control system designs and applications. The mechanical footprint of the wide format TFT displays is ideally suited for human machine interface applications. Information, data and graphics can be concisely represented and displayed.
A vast and wide range of applications are particularly suited to the use of KOE colour TFT displays. Small, low power displays are particularly suitable for compact, portable, battery powered equipment, media players and mobile navigation systems. Medium size colour TFTs provide ideal choices for security monitoring, portable terminals and process control while larger sizes are particularly suited for online terminals, monitors and epos applications.
Specifications and interfaces are optimised for industrial markets and ease of integration.
