Robust industrial TFT displays for demanding applications

Industrial TFT LCD displays have evolved since their market onset, becoming more reliable and providing greater clarity while offering wider viewing angles and increasing response times.

This continuous improvement in both screen size and picture quality has effectively opened up the market for industrial TFTs. And amorphous silicon thin film transistor (TFT) and active matrix technology has made liquid crystal displays (LCD) cost-effective. These LCDs are now feasible for usage in many applications, including in factory automation; measurement instruments; and POS, POI, and ATM machines. The slim size of their screens, which reduces the overall footprint of a piece of industrial equipment, makes them able to surpass traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) screens.

As well, a reduction in weight in comparison to original CRT constructions is achieved. As the design and manufacture evolves, these screens have also become more rigid and reliable for use in more taxing applications. This is an ideal feature for an industrial TFT used in industrial PCs and factory automation and for utilization in marine equipment.

Renesas Electronics has released a new line of industrial TFT displays that have been upgraded from their original counterparts with all of the features mentioned above. These new displays are designed to handle operation in wider temperature ranges as their robustness has increased; this addition makes them ideal for use in the avionics industry. The Transflective displays that are based on Renesas Electronics' Nature light technology also allow for greater image in a lighting environment that might otherwise prove incompatible with an LCD display.

A higher color gamut in combination with an anti-glare panel surface allows for higher clarity - with greater differences in brightness and contrast - facilitates the viewing of more applications and information simultaneously, whether the screen be 5.5 inches or a 15 inch color industrial TFT display.

These enhanced features, along with a versatile lineup of industrial TFTs available from Renesas Electronics, exemplifies Renesas Electronics' in-depth awareness of the products it provides. The displays, which are equipped with form-fit-function compatibility and are as well mounting and interfacing compatible, evidence the company's great awareness of the specialized requirements of industrial TFTs in a variety of applications.

Combined with Renesas Electronics' philosophy of long-term customer support and the two years phase-out procedure they provide for the incorporation of these displays in a range of applications, the new industrial TFT is well worth considering.