Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas Announces Strong 2 Technology Standard for Industrial Displays

San Francisco and Camas, Wash., June 6, 2006:  At the Society for Information Display 2006 International Symposium Seminar and Exhibition, Sharp today introduces Strong 2, Sharp’s new performance standard for its industrial Amorphous Silicon Liquid Crystal Displays (a-Si LCDs). With this new standard, Sharp gives OEM customers assurance that Strong 2 LCDs meet greater performance requirements in brightness, contrast, temperature range, and shock/vibration. 

Sharp is currently offering four Strong 2 displays -- the10.4 inch LQ104V1DG61 and LQ104V1LG61 along with the 12.1 inch LQ121S1DG61 and LQ121S1LG61.

The integration of displays in industrial devices, such as patient monitoring, human-machine interface, factory automation, and e-signage requires that these displays meet far more stringent performance criteria than displays used in consumer applications, because they are used in harsher environments. Sharp’s Strong 2 LCDs exhibit marked performance improvements in four areas of great importance to design engineers in the industrial market.

Wider temperature range

Strong 2 displays can operate in extreme temperatures ranging from –30º to +80ºC. Laboratory testing has shown they need no elaborate display enclosures with fans or other cooling methods, even in hot or dusty environments, thus eliminating air filter purchase and servicing costs. In cold environments or high altitudes, the displays meet minimum temperature specifications without heaters and will operate in these environments at standard refresh rates.  Therefore, engineers can design them into a wider range of devices used not only in extreme climates, but also in sensitive environments such as gas pumps or clean rooms.

Since a touch screen can reduce display brightness (in some cases by nearly 70 cd/m2), Strong 2 displays offer 450 cd/m2 of brightness at the outset, to maintain brightness and clarity even after integrating a touch screen. Because they already offer superior light output, designers no longer need to add extra display backlights for high ambient light applications, or when adding an antireflective overlay to the display to enhance readability.  By reducing the number of modifications needed, Strong 2 displays save engineers time and lower device costs while maintaining a superior display image.

Displays meeting the Strong 2 standard feature a 600:1 contrast ratio for crisper, clearer images and more vivid colors.

Greater resistance to shock and vibration

Strong 2 displays are 1.5G certified for greater shock and vibration, making them ideal for rugged medical applications such as EMT equipment in emergency vehicles, or test and measurement equipment used in harsh environments. They also require less cushioning to pass stringent environmental-use tests.

Because Sharp’s Strong 2 display technology was developed specifically for the industrial and medical markets, design engineers benefit from both short- and long-term cost savings. Previously, engineers designing for these markets used displays targeted for consumer applications, and relied on third party integrators to enhance the performance and reliability of the displays to meet the thermal management, brightness, contrast, shock, and vibration criteria needed for industrial devices. Integrating a Strong 2 display into an industrial design requires fewer enhancements at the outset, and the final products can achieve longer lifetimes with more durable display components. 

“No other display manufacturer can match the range of sizes Sharp offers, or our performance levels where it matters for industrial designers,” said Kraig Kawada, Senior Director of Display Products at Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas. “And Sharp industrial display support is long-term.”

“Sharp’s Strong 2 standard was developed to meet the exacting performance needs of industrial customers. Strong 2 testifies to our ongoing refinement of product offerings for the North American market,” said Kawada. “We’re continuously in contact with our customers, developing high quality displays for their increasingly wider range of applications.”

In addition to medical and industrial equipment, the rugged Strong 2 displays are ideal for applications such as:

• Outdoor use including ticketing kiosks, ATMs, gas pump or offshore oil rig displays, and small outdoor advertising;
• Indoor use in human/machine interfaces and in areas with exposure to higher temperatures due to manufacturing processes;
• Applications where image quality is extremely important, and higher contrast ratio is a key factor; for example, online catalog sales where customers perceive the quality of the item by how it looks on-screen.

Sharp Strong 2 displays are RoHS* compliant, continuing Sharp’s track record of developing environmentally-sound products and in following eco-friendly manufacturing processes.

Both the 10.4 inch and 12.1 inch Strong 2 displays are available now, and priced at $400 in sample quantities.  Additional Strong 2 displays, ranging from 5.0 inches to 10.4 inches, will be available beginning in Q3 2006.

The Strong 2 displays are on exhibit at Booth 520 at the Society for Information Display 2006 International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition, June 6-9, in San Francisco.

More information about Sharp’s display products can be found at www.sharpsma.com.

About Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas

Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas, Camas, Wash., is the U.S.-based microelectronics sales and marketing unit of Japan’s Sharp Corporation. Sharp is a worldwide developer of core digital technologies that are playing an integral role in shaping the next generation of electronic products for consumer and business needs. Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas offers breakthrough memory, LCD, optoelectronics, CCD, RF/IR, microcontroller and System-on-Chip components, along with packaging and integration skills that help design engineers throughout North and South America bring their ambitious ideas to market. Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas is dedicated to improving people's lives through the use of advanced technology and a commitment to innovation, quality, value, and design. For more information, visit www.sharpsma.com.

Note: All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective companies.
 

* The Restriction of Hazardous substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (ROHS) Directive (2002/95/EC). This directive is scheduled to take effect July 1, 2006.

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Steve Kuyatt
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