TFT-LCDs target rugged mobile industrial apps

TFT-LCDs target rugged mobile industrial apps
Santa Clara, Calif. — NEC Electronics America, Inc. has introduced four industrial-grade, amorphous-silicon, thin-film transistor (TFT) LCD modules from NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd. that claim high brightness, low-power consumption and high contrast levels. These modules are suitable for RFID devices, handheld scanners, temperature testing devices, and global positioning systems.

Unveiled at the 2006 Society for Information Display (SID) Symposium and Conference, these industrial-type mobile display modules range in size from 2.7 to 4.3 inches. They feature increased brightness levels with high contrast, and low-power consumption, which make them suitable for mobile devices that need to operate in a wide range of viewing environments and applications.

Here's the line-up.

The 2.7-inch (6.8-centimeters diagonal) NL2432HC17-02A QVGA TFT-LCD offers low-power consumption of 200 milliwatts (mW) and has three light-emitting diode (LED) backlights that provide a high brightness level of 200 candelas per meter squared (cd/m2) and a high contrast ratio of 400:1. The NL2432HC17-02A also touts a fast response time of 23 milliseconds (ms) and is optimized for landscape viewing with portrait scanning. An integrated touch panel (NL2432HC17-02B) is available with this display.

The 3.5-inch (8.9-centimeters diagonal) NL2432HC22-37B QVGA TFT-LCD boosts a high brightness level of 350 cd/m2, which is said to be the highest among color TFT-LCD modules designed for mobile terminal use. It also offers a high contrast ratio of 300:1, a response time of 23 ms and low-power consumption of 320 mW. An integrated touch panel eliminates the need for a separate keypad and reduces the number of additional components that need to be designed in. Upshot: reduced development costs and lead times.

The 3.5-inch (8.9-centimeters diagonal) NL2432HC22-40A QVGA TFT-LCD, based on NEC's optimized super-reflective natural light (SR-NLT) technology, offers a high luminance of 220 cd/m2, a high reflective ratio of 15 percent and backlight power consumption of 384 mW, which is equivalent to conventional products. The displays also provide high contrast ratios of 150:1 in transmissive mode and 15:1 in reflective mode for operation in any kind of ambient light. Compared to conventional products, this module is approximately 10 percent lighter in weight, despite the addition of a timing controller and a DC-DC converter, said the company. Applications include global positioning systems (GPS), portable meter reading equipment, barcode scanners, radio frequency identification (RFID) devices and other portable handheld equipment used in indoor and outdoor settings.

The 4.3-inch (10.9-centimeters diagonal) NL4827HC19-01B WQVGA TFT-LCD is suitable for portable display terminals that require larger screens, higher resolutions, higher aspect ratios and faster response times. This TFT-LCD module boasts an aspect ratio of 16:9, high luminance of 350 cd/m2, a contrast ratio of 300:1 and a response time of 25 ms. This module also features an integrated touch panel.

The 2.7-inch NL2432HC17-02A and 3.5-inch NL2432HC22-37B modules are available now. The 3.5-inch NL2432HC22-40A and 4.3-inch NL4827HC19-01B modules will be available in June 2006. Please contact the company for pricing information.

NEC Electronics America, 1-800-366-9782, www.am.necel.com/display