Medical displays in the healthcare system

Abstract— As the healthcare system changes and progresses, the need for different types of high‐performing displays is also evolving. There are three categories of displays: (a) embedded (as part of life saving devices), (b) informative (for patient data and history, and managing workflow), and (c) imaging (high performing for diagnosis). The challenges of AMLCDs, which are the display of choice at the moment mainly in digital imaging, will be discussed. These challenges include very high resolution, high brightness, and wide viewing angle. The current performance of AMLCDs and the areas which they need to improve will be reviewed. A brief summary of the standards used to specify medical (diagnostic) displays will follow. A look into the future will predict the role of displays in hospitals.     

Method to improve color reproduction on a 120‐Hz two‐field color‐sequential LCD

Conventional displays use at least three primaries for full‐color image reproduction. In this contribution, the reproduction of color images using an LCD system with two local dynamic primaries, based on a segmented backlight, will be discussed. The two primaries are chosen to minimize color error by means of total least squares. Simulation results indicate quite good color reproduction for a large set of video data even with a limited number of backlight segments. A statistical analysis of this video content shows that excellent color reproduction (?u′v′ < 0.020 for more than 99.0% of the pixels per frame) can be achieved for 74.2% of the frames using 9216 backlight segments.     

Bit‐depth extension: Overcoming LCD‐driver limitations by using models of the equivalent input noise of the visual system

Abstract— Continuous tone, or “contone,” imagery usually has 24 bits/pixel as a minimum, with 8 bits each for the three primaries in typical displays. However, lower‐cost displays constrain this number because of various system limitations. Conversely, higher‐quality displays seek to achieve 9–10 bits/pixel/color, though there may be system bottlenecks limited to 8. The two main artifacts from reduced bit‐depth are contouring and loss of amplitude detail; these can be prevented by dithering the image prior to these bit‐depth losses. Our technique builds on Roberts's noise‐modulation idea and the subsequently influenced work in halftoning for hardcopy and dithering for displays. However, most halftoning/dithering work was primarily directed to displays at the lower end of bits/pixel (e.g., 1 bit as in halftoning) and higher ppi. We approach the problem from the higher end of bits/pixel/color, for example, 6–8, and lower spatial resolution (<100 ppi), which changes the game substantially from halftoning experience. Instead of spatial dither, it is better to use an amplitude dither. In addition, dynamic displays allow for the use of a temporal dithering component. This paper will report on techniques and observations made in achieving contone quality on ～100‐or‐less‐ppi LCDs starting from 4‐ to 8‐bit driver limits, and resulting with no visible dither patterns, noise, contours, or loss of amplitude detail at viewing distances as close as the near focus limit (～120 mm).     

Multiple color high resolution reflective cholesteric liquid crystal displays

Abstract— A high-resolution multiple-color and black-on-white surface-stabilized reflective cholesteric liquid-crystal display with reflectivities as high as 40% is reported. The double-stacked 1/8-VGA, 100-dpi prototype shows four vivid colors with negligible parallax. The potential for eight colors and ultimately full color is demonstrated in a high-resolution triple-stacked prototype.     

EL displays for automotive applications

Abstract— This paper presents an overview of the display requirements for automotive applications and introduces alternating‐current thin‐film electroluminesent (ACTFEL) displays for automobiles. An ACTFEL has advantages over other displays under sunlight and low temperature conditions. Several automotive applications for transparent and multicolor EL displays are introduced in this paper.     

Alignment layers for cholesteric displays on glass and plastic substrates

Abstract— The optical performance of surface-stabilized cholesteric liquid-crystal displays (SCT-LCDs) has been optimized by using obliquely sputtered SiO₂ as the alignment layer. A comparison with polyimides used up to now showed an improvement in the contrast ratio by a factor of 2 for glass displays. A second advantage of this material is the absence of high temperatures during the manufacturing process. Therefore, it is possible to use obliquely sputtered SiO₂ for the preparation of plastic display prototypes. We have realized a 6-in. VGA display with approximately 130 dpi. This is the largest cholesteric display with the highest resolution fabricated on plastic substrates to date.     

等离子显示器与液晶显示器的特点与发展趋势

随着显示器新技术的不断更新应用,显示器市场正在发生革命性变化, 传统CRT显示器由于其自身技术特点的限制,不可避免的局限了其在市场的地位,新型显示设备正逐步扩大其市场份额。本文通过对目前占主导地位的等离子和液晶显示器在技术方面的特点进行分析比较,提出了自己对显示器发展趋势的看法。     

Flexible and bistable FLC and cholesteric displays on plastic substrates for mobile applications and smart cards

Abstract— New smart-card applications like purse cards, etc. require an integrated display which allows the card-holder to read information which is stored on the IC of the card. On the other hand, the integration of a display into a plastic card requires some very specific features like flexibility and pressure stability, low-voltage CMOS-addressing, memory capability, and, of course, a reflective mode since no backlight is available. In this paper, two bistable reflective LCD solutions using ferroelectric and cholesteric LCs are discussed and very promising prototype results are presented. Pressure and bending tests as well as contrast measurements are compared in order to show the potential of meeting the requirements for use in smart cards.     

Advanced MEMS-based technologies and displays

MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) are used in many fields including display applications, which are extensively studied both in academia and industry. For practical devices, numbers of advanced technologies have been developed based on MEMS concept. For display technologies, projection displays, reflective displays, transmissive displays and other display modes have been achieved by different MEMS modes. In this review, the current MEMS-based display technologies are introduced and discussed including digital micromirror device (DMD), laser scanning display (LSD), interferometric modulator display (IMOD), digital micro-shutter (DMS), time multiplexed optical shutter (TMOS), grating light valve (GLV) and others. The typical structure and fundamental of each display mode are interpreted.     

An optical design for reflective color STN‐LCDs

In reflective color STN‐LCDs, it is necessary to achieve achromatic representation in single‐polarizer STN‐LCD modes. We propose an optimization method for the optical components of single‐polarizer STN‐LCD modes in order to achieve achromatic representation. By applying this method, it is shown that a contrast ratio of more than 20 can be achieved in the normally black (NB) mode. Furthermore, we prove that the normally white (NW) mode can be realized as well as an NB mode which is usually used in current reflective color STN‐LCDs. Comparing the viewing‐angle characteristics of the NW and NB modes, it was found that those of the NW mode are better than those of the NB mode. Particularly, high reflectance can be realized even at larger viewing angles in the NW mode.     

Design of carbon nanotubes for large‐area electron field‐emission cathodes

Abstract— Electron field‐emission displays offer a viable option for the next generation of flat‐panel screens. Boasting high‐quality images in terms of good color saturation, fast refresh rate, and high brightness, these displays have the potential to offer above and beyond what the current market leaders, LCD and plasma. However, for the realization of such a new display disrupting the incumbent LCD and plasma displays, not only does the image quality need to be better, but fabrication costs and suitable manufacturing processes need to be in place at reduced cost. Many viable cathode materials have been proposed in recent years, one of which being the use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in various forms (aligned growth, screen printing, and polymer matrix). In this review, a series of recent experiments investigating the field‐emission characteristics of carbon‐nanotube systems for possible use in the display industry is presented.     

Reflective and transflective color LCDs with double polarizers

Abstract— Reflective color LCDs with double polarizers have been developed by means of optimizing liquid-crystal modes, aperture ratio, color-filter properties, thickness of the glass substrate, polarizers, reflectors, etc. These LCDs are sufficiently bright, display many colors, have good hue, and are light weight with thin outline and low power consumption. Since they have double polarizers, a very high contrast ratio can be obtained. Therefore, they are superior in text character displays. Moreover, transflective color LCDs have been developed without visible deterioration of reflective displays by adoption of a reflective polarizer and backlight system in place of a lower polarizer and reflector.     

Front glass thickness requirements for high resolution polarized stereoscopic displays: A simulation platform

The tendency of the display market is towards displays with higher resolutions. Therefore, patterned retarder‐based stereoscopic displays require smaller front glass thickness to maintain good vertical viewing angle and limited crosstalk. To properly design these stereoscopic displays and quantify these requirements, we developed a simulation platform to predict radiance, polarization profile, and crosstalk over viewing angles and over wavelengths. Tunable parameters such as the distance between the pixels and the patterned retarder, and the optical properties of the patterned retarder are included. The simulation platform has been validated by comparing outcomes of simulations with measurements. We predict crosstalk accounting for both the human eye field of view and the diameter of the pupil. We found that to obtain a vertical viewing angle of at least ± 30° and crosstalk of at most 0.11 for a display with a pixel pitch beyond 0.27 mm, the display should include black absorbers, and the thickness of the front glass should be at most 0.5 mm. For higher resolution displays (pixel pitch no more than 0.21 mm), a front glass thickness at most 0.15 mm is required to produce a vertical viewing angle beyond ± 14° and a minimum viewing distance of 0.3 m.     

Measurement of the mechanical properties of brightness enhancement films (BEFs) for LCDs by optical interferometry

The brightness enhancement film (BEF) is one of the important components in the liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Since the thicknesses of BEFs are very less, it increases the difficulty to measure their mechanical properties. In this paper, we successfully propose a methodology by combining the micro tensile test and optical interferometry to characterize Young’s moduli and Poisson’s ratios of BEFs. In addition, the thermal and hygrothermal effects on the mechanical properties of BEFs were also investigated. The finite element analysis (FEA) was utilized to verify the precision of our proposed methodology. The results show that Young’s moduli of BEFs are influenced by temperature and humidity whereas Poisson’s ratios of BEFs are less influenced by temperature and humidity.     

A practical approach to processing flexible displays

Abstract— The materials and fabrication aspects of flexible displays will be reviewed. The fabrication of flexible displays requires the consideration of proper material selection, handling of plastic‐film substrates, and a low‐temperature process for the fabrication of active‐matrix devices on plastic substrate. In addition, for the low‐cost fabrication approach, direct printing of active‐matrix patterning without a photolithography process is also required. Before commercial‐level production of flexible displays is considered, the factors of product reliability and practical value are considered. Samsung LCD Division's approach to the fabrication of flexible displays and future plans to develop a practical method that will lead to the production level of flexible displays will also be described.     

Large-display developments in China

In China, various kinds of displays have been developed in recent years. Normal displays, i.e. on-off type displays such as LED and electromagnetic displays, have been used in many places. These have formed the main display modes in China. Another significant development has been the appearance of giant video displays. The first system has been installed in Xiannongtan Stadium in Beijing. It was used during the opening ceremony of the First Farmer Games of the People's Republic of China, and is intended for further use at the 11th Asian Games to be held in 1990.     

Procedure and information displays in advanced nuclear control rooms: experimental evaluation of an integrated design

Abstract

In the main control rooms of nuclear power plants, operators frequently have to switch between procedure displays and system information displays. In this study, we proposed an operation-unit-based integrated design, which combines the two displays to facilitate the synthesis of information. We grouped actions that complete a single goal into operation units and showed these operation units on the displays of system states. In addition, we used different levels of visual salience to highlight the current unit and provided a list of execution history records. A laboratory experiment, with 42 students performing a simulated procedure to deal with unexpected high pressuriser level, was conducted to compare this design against an action-based integrated design and the existing separated-displays design. The results indicate that our operation-unit-based integrated design yields the best performance in terms of time and completion rate and helped more participants to detect unexpected system failures.

Practitioner Summary: In current nuclear control rooms, operators frequently have to switch between procedure and system information displays. We developed an integrated design that incorporates procedure information into system displays. A laboratory study showed that the proposed design significantly improved participants’ performance and increased the probability of detecting unexpected system failures.     

Advanced automotive display measurements: Selected challenges and solutions

Today's trend in automotive displays is toward more, larger, better, and flexible panels. The requirements for cars differ largely from consumer displays: Automotive displays have unique requirements in terms of optical performance, longevity in harsh environment, and production of 100,000s per year per model. Consumer electronics displays, however, set the pace and premium automotive panels have to follow in short time because of customer expectations despite long development cycles. Advanced procedures and measurements have to be applied like lifetime and ambient light. In order to reduce the effort in specifying and evaluating car displays in terms of optical performance, the German Flat Panel Forum has set common requirements for automotive validation. As standard measurement procedures are often less suitable for automotive evaluation, dedicated methods were developed like Black Mura, gamma and visual assessment of anti‐glare surfaces. Standardization reduces the effort along the automotive display value chain. People in future autonomous cars will spend more time watching displays than today, which must then be of highest optical performance. Design visions trend to present information – and not displays – to driver and passengers, which includes seamless displays and smart surfaces. A simple integration of flat displays into dashboards is no longer state‐of‐the‐art.     

Review Paper: Human factors of stereo displays: An update

Abstract— This updated review paper provides a selected review of a number of important perceptual and human‐factors issues that arise when stereo displays are designed and used. This review and analysis draws heavily from the basic vision literature in order to help provide insight for future design solutions for stereo displays. Issues discussed include: (1) the basics of human stereopsis (horopter, binocular disparity, binocular rivalry); (2) low‐level factors (interocular cross talk, interocular differences in luminance and contrast, accommodation‐vergence mismatch, stereoanomaly); (3) contextual factors (spatio‐temporal frequency effects, distance scaling of disparity); and (4) a high‐level cognitive factor (high‐level cue conflict). In this updated review, significant new material has been added: (1) interocular luminance and contrast differences and their effect on stereo viewing; (2) more insightful discussion of accommodative‐vergence mismatch; (3) high‐level cognitive factor. Two topics in the earlier review (visual pathways; dark focus and dark vergence) have been deleted. The paper concludes with the presentation of several recommendations for the design of stereo displays.     

Electrofluidic displays: Fundamental platforms and unique performance attributes

Abstract— Electrofluidic displays transpose brilliant pigment dispersions between a fluid reservoir of small viewable area and a channel of large viewable area. Recent progress in the technology, a new multi‐stable device architecture, and a novel approach for segmented displays that can display pigment without the optical losses of pixel borders is reported. The fundamental aspects of electrofluidics that make it compelling for the next generation of e‐paper products is reviewed.