The results were presented in a paper at the Display Week conference titled “Co-Integration of Organic Photodetector with MicroLED Dedicated to Multifunctional Display Application.”

As the demand for innovative and interactive displays continues to grow, microLED technology has emerged as a promising contender for future display applications due to its exceptionally high brightness, while maintaining a minimal footprint, leaving room to integrate additional functions. These properties expand the boundaries of traditional displays by making microLED an ideal candidate for integrating both display and sensing functions. However, achieving seamless co-integration between microLED and photodetectors has remained a major technical challenge. Few studies have addressed this issue until CEA-Leti’s new research.

“Successfully demonstrating the co-integration of microLEDs with photodetectors paves the way for multifunctional displays that combine imaging, gesture recognition, and even biometric scanning,” said Michaël Pelissier, lead author of the paper. “MicroLED’s high radiance allows us to free up more space on the display panel to incorporate photodetectors, which not only enhances the display experience but also opens up new possibilities for smart, interactive screens.”

One of the major hurdles in integrating microLEDs with photodetectors is the phenomenon of crosstalk coupling. Crosstalk occurs when the light emitted by the microLEDs reaches the photodetector directly before reflecting off the observed scene, leading to interference and diminished sensor performance. Exploring this challenge, the paper presents key insights into how the distance between the illumination source and the photodetector affects crosstalk, providing a deeper understanding of this bottleneck.

Applications for Health, Security and Consumer Devices

Co-integrating microLEDs with organic photodetectors enables highly promising possibilities for new applications, including:

• Fingerprint Sensing Across the Entire Display Area: Enables secure access by detecting fingerprints across the entire screen and even extracts detailed images of veins, rather than in specific areas, significantly enhancing security measures for consumer devices.
• Infrared Sensing for Novel Interface: Uses IR sensing to perform gesture recognition in close vicinity to the screen to further improve interactive capabilities.
• Bio-Monitoring: Enables the extraction of physiological parameters such as, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, body temperature, supporting further advances in health and wellness applications.

As consumer devices such as smartphones and laptops become more integral to daily life, the demand for multifunctional displays continues to increase. This co-integration allows displays that not only show content but also sense the environment—enabling smart interactions, biometrics, and real-time physiological monitoring, all within a single, compact device.

Next Steps

Following this co-integration breakthrough, CEA-Leti’s next phase of the work will focus on exploring the full potential of this technology for specific applications, such as physiological parameter tracking. Researchers will also investigate various photodetector technologies that can be co-integrated with microLEDs to optimise performance, reduce crosstalk, and further enhance multifunctionality.

The 7-inch size is particularly suitable for applications requiring a long-life, high-brightness touch screen. Examples include EV chargers, autonomous devices, data routers, industrial control systems, IoT home products and smart shopping trolleys.

The display features a high-resolution screen with 800 * 3 (RGB) * 480 Dots. The panel is a Transmissive LCD touch screen with an RGB-Strip interface, offering a full viewing angle, and the unlit colour is black.

The Drive IC is a ST72568 (or Compatible IC) device, and the output touch interface is I2C, with a screen brightness of 425 cd/m2. The operating temperature is -20°C to +70°C and the MTBF lifetime is impressive at up to 20,000 hours (25°C, IF= 160mA).

Inelco Hunter’s in-depth engineering support ensures rapid implementation, speeding up the customer’s time-to-market. This added-value support is at the core of Inelco Hunter’s philosophy, and has been for the last 30 years, setting them apart from the “stock and ship” distributors.

www.inelcohunter.co.uk/impressive

“Emteria ensures seamless operation of Android 13 on the POS-IQ-PRO Panel PCs, maximizing app compatibility and usability,” said Matthias Keller, Managing Director at Fortec Integrated (Distec).

The contemporary Android version provides extensive design options, allowing users to tailor the user interface, boot animations, and color schemes to their brand specifications. (CI/CD) pipelines facilitate automatic OS updates and the distribution of system and app changes through over-the-air (OTA) updates. The Android operating system further enhances the POS-IQ-PRO panel PC experience with features such as kiosk mode for authorization management, easy remote access through Mobile Device Management (MDM), streamlined app management, and screen mirroring for real-time monitoring of remote device screens. Extended long-term support and regular security updates contribute to the ongoing safety and reliability of the Android devices.

The POS-IQ-PRO panel PC monitors, equipped with a robust Intel Pentium N4200 processor, were specifically designed for applications in machine controls, HMIs, and medical technology. Available in sizes ranging from 10.1 to 15.6″, these panel PCs feature a 10-finger PCAP touchscreen for user-friendly operation and a slim, durable stainless-steel housing with front IP65 protection against dust and water. Passive cooling ensures optimal system performance even in high ambient temperatures. Additionally, VESA mounting holes allow flexible installation options, including swivel arms or monitor bases, and optional wall installation frames facilitate integration into various constructions like concrete, wood, or drywall.

The Fortec Integrated monitors of the POS-RP-PRO series, equipped with integrated Raspberry Pi ARM processor, are also offered with the Emteria Android operating system.

Here, analysts from Future Market Insights (FMI) market research, present three key areas of development of these types of systems.

1. Railway systems

The railway system market is estimated to be worth $45.1bn between year 2023 and 2033, growing at a compound annual rate (CAGR) of 4.8%. Currently the market is valued at just over $28bn.

Surging urbanisation worldwide and the growing number of vehicles on the roads are adding to bad traffic congestions, which in turn is leading many to seek public modes of transport, such as trains, metro rails, and so on, to move around cities. Rail operators are responding by improving the comfort, infotaintment, connectivity and functionalities offered onboard their trains, which increases the demand for railways systems. High-speed rail technology advancements such as magnetic levitation and Hyperloop, as well as hydrogen fuel-cell technology for zero emissions, will drive global market growth going forward.

Furthermore, government authorities worldwide are investing tremendous amounts in upgrading their countries’ railway infrastructure. Moreover, using railways stands in line with the adoption of renewable sources of energy; many economies are laying the foundations for ‘Green Transportation’, which will lead to even greater adoption of railways.

The railways’ green status is further underpinned by their limited use of fuel, which is a lot lower than that of airlines, for example, and the load capacity of the railways is also much higher.

The railway system market is expected to see a form of renaissance with the application of the Internet of Trains, making this mode of transport more reliable, safer and easier to maintain. The Internet of Trains will be underpinned by AI, which is expected to revolutionise this market. Increasing investment in analytics systems by network operators in developed nations, as well as improvements aimed at enhancing customer experience, are important driving factors for the growth of the global industry.

Smart technologies such as advanced train control systems, advanced passenger information systems, and real-time location information for each railway carriage, to monitored for schedule compliance and navigation of the moving train. It is predicted that providing precise real-time information on the status and location of in-transit railcars will boost passenger satisfaction. All these improvements has attracted the interest of many technology companies worldwide. In February 2022, The CRRC developed 3000hp permanent magnet hybrid shunting locomotive just completed 2,000 kilometers of safe operation. Consumers praised the locomotive for its extraordinarily low energy consumption and environmental protection when compared to a traditional shunting diesel locomotive.

In May 2022, Hitachi Rail introduced many new automation and digitalisation advancements, including PTC (Positive Train Control), railcar telematics and dispatching systems.

In January 2022, Siemens created the new air-free brake system, also known as an electronic friction brake system, which is the first completely electronically controlled friction brake to be deployed in rail vehicles (brake-by-wire). The braking system operates without the need for compressed air. In addition to several technological advantages, the new brake reduces vehicle weight and increases vehicle speed.

In December 2021, Alstom, in collaboration with Cylus, deployed an advanced rail cybersecurity solution on the Tel Aviv Red Line to increase the protection of the line’s signalling and train control systems. CylusOne is a multi-layered rail-specific cybersecurity solution powered by sophisticated Al and ML technologies.

Based on regional analysis, North America will see the largest market growth during the forecast period; at present that market share is 21.8%. In comparison, Germany’s market share is only 4.4%, Japan’s 5.7% and Australian’s 1.3%. China’s market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.7% for that same period, India’s at a 7.1%. rate, and the UK’s at a CAGR of 4.1%.

Based on applications, passenger transportation currently has the largest market share at 64.8%. In this space manufacturers are making important steps to work toward sustainability goals.

2. Railway telematics systems

The market for railways telematics systems is expected to reach $13bn by 2033. In 2023 it was valued at $6bn, to grow at a CAGR of 7.1% to year 2033.

Quick asset deployment, use and maintenance of railcars has increased the adoption of railways telematics globally, buoying up all the business sectors providing these type solutions and services. Also, new technologies have become a necessity to make the freight and logistics sector better performing and more effective. The adoption of railway telematics, including monitoring of refrigeration wagons and forecasted arrival times for every other railcar, is the key factor driving the market in present.

According to our recent market report, the US holds a share of nearly 18.5% of the global railway telematics market. Owing to the presence of many leading OEMs in the US, the overall revenue generated there in 2023 is about $1.2bn.

In Europe, Germany is the largest regional market for railway telematics, and offers plenty of room for further expansion. The country accounts for some 4.7% of the money made by providing railway telematics services globally.

Close second in Europe for adopting railway telematics technologies for freight management is the UK, which is likely to see a further growth of 3.3% annually to 2033.

China is the leading market among the Asia Pacific countries in terms of the production of railway telematics components and services. This country will experience a higher CAGR, 4.3%, from 2023 to 2033.

Japan is another significant contributor to the Asia Pacific railway telematics market, with a share of 5.2% of the global market. With advanced component manufacturers as well as excellent service providers, this country is estimated to generate revenues of nearly $350m in 2023.

We see India as the world’s fastest-growing market for railway telematics for the time being. Through to 2033, the region is expected to grow at a pace of 5.4% thanks to domestic railway infrastructure expansion projects and improved export capabilities.

Australia has garnered enough traction in the global railway telematics business recently, having a strong export potential for South-East Asian countries and other nations. This country has a sizable train transit system, accounting for some 2.3% of the overall worldwide income.

In the railways telematics systems, from 2023 to 2033, the component segment of sensors is expected to grow at a higher rate than any other. This is also a major contributing segment that holds a share of some 45.5% of the overall market.

In this space we see giants such as Siemens, Alstom, Knorr-Bremse, Robert Bosch, Hitachi, Intermodal Telematics, Intrex Telematics, ORBCOMM, Rail nova, Savvy Telematics, and Trinity Industries compete.

3. Railway interior lighting systems

The railway interior lighting market is expected to be worth $263m in 2023, growing to $364m by 2033, at a CAGR of 3.3%.

The growing population in metropolitan centres, increased urbanisation and growing government involvement in creating public transportation infrastructure such as metro trains, high-speed trains, but also restored trains, are the main contributing factors here, and the demand for LEDs and supporting technologies remains high.

Geographically, North America is the key region that dominates the market with a share of 17.9%.

By Future Market Insights market analysts

The Display’s Unique Features
The 4″ 1×1 aspect ratio, square, IPS TFT LCD display is designed with a suite of distinctive features that make it a perfect choice for EV charging stations:
• Wide Operating Temperature: The display operates effectively between -20°C and +70°C, making it suitable for charging stations in a variety of climates.
• High Brightness and Contrast Ratio: With a brightness of 1000 cd/m2 and a contrast ratio of up to 800, the display is perfect for daytime use. Users can read the information easily, even in bright sunlight.
• Near 180-Degree Viewing Angles: This feature enhances the display’s readability from different viewpoints, providing ease of use to customers.
• Optical Bonding: This technique reduces glare and enhances daylight readability, allowing the display to offer high visibility under various lighting conditions.
• Custom Cover Glass and Unique 1:1 Square Design: The custom cover glass protects the display while offering a sleek look. The unique square design enables a compact form factor without compromising information display.
• Low Power Consumption: Despite its high-performance characteristics, the display uses energy efficiently, aligning with the sustainability focus of EVs.
• Customizable Add-ons: Depending on specific requirements, customers can opt for mounting frames, antibacterial films, and custom cabling.

Real-World Application
A globally recognized EV charging infrastructure provider, recently decided to upgrade their display units to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency. After a thorough market study, they chose the 4″ IPS TFT LCD display for their charging stations.
The wide operating temperature range offered by the LCD display allowed them to install their charging stations in various regions with extreme weather conditions, from hot deserts to icy tundras, without worrying about the display’s performance. The high brightness and contrast ratio, along with the near 180-degree viewing angles, enhanced the customer’s readability, even under harsh sunlight.
The optical bonding technique made the display more robust, helping it withstand day-to-day wear and tear while enhancing visibility. The unique 1:1 square design and custom cover glass made the stations aesthetically pleasing, attracting more customers. The low power consumption aligned with the company’s sustainability goals, providing a high-performance solution with minimal environmental impact.
The additional options like antibacterial films and custom cabling provided extra layers of safety and ease-of-use, significantly enhancing the overall user experience.

Impact and Results
Since the installation of the 4″, 1×1 aspect ratio, IPS TFT LCD displays, market feedback showed an impressive increase in customer satisfaction. Customers found the new displays easier to read and interact with, especially in daylight, contributing to a smoother charging experience.
Simultaneously, the low power consumption of the display resulted in an overall reduction in the stations’ operational energy costs. The robustness provided by the custom cover glass and optical bonding resulted in less maintenance, further reducing operating expenses.
Lastly, the flexibility offered by add-ons like mounting frames, antibacterial films, and custom cabling provide tailor-made solutions for different locations and customer requirements.
The 4″ IPS TFT LCD display has proven to be an ideal choice for this application, offering a robust, high-performing, and customer-friendly solution. It demonstrates how careful consideration of display technology can enhance user experience, reduce operational costs, and ultimately contribute to the successful proliferation of EV charging stations.

https://www.relec.co.uk/hip-to-be-square-the-not-so-ordinary-4-square-ips-lcd-screen/

By John Stone, Sales Director Relec Electronics

Dr Matthew Dyson, Principal Technology Analyst at IDTechEx

[Image: Vishnu Mohanan for Unsplash]

“Through this strategic partnership with Samsung Display for the dedicated development of bespoke OLED technology display solutions, we will make a significant step forwards in the digital environment of our next-generation models,” said Benedetto Vigna, CEO of Ferrari.

“We are certain that our collaboration with Ferrari will provide an exciting opportunity to apply our strengths to the supercar field and reinforce our position in the automotive OLED market, enabling us to reach ever new heights,” said JS Choi, President and CEO of Samsung Display.

Over the past decade, Samsung Display has been leading the technology transition in the premium smartphone market from LCD to OLED. As an industry leader in the premium display market and pioneer of revolutionary OLED technology since 2007, Samsung Display is now actively targeting the automotive display market which is an important technology and business platform.

At CES 2023, Samsung Display unveiled its New Digital Cockpit with a 34-inch slim bezel display and bendable technology that creates 700R curvature during the driving mode.

The lightweight, slim structure and the thin bezel of OLED panels allow for high levels of design freedom and its true black and high-contrast capabilities satisfy the design needs of leading automakers. Moreover, OLED’s low power consumption offers even greater benefits, since every watt saved improves the car’s efficiency and sustainability.

UK-based Hanover Displays manufactures and designs passenger information systems for the public transport industry, placing great emphasis on providing very high quality products.

The printed circuit boards (PCBs) in its display panels were originally produced in the Far East until recently, when Hanover decided to start manufacturing them in-house.

“We invested in high-speed production equipment to make the PCBs, a decision that gave us greater flexibility in our production control, but also enabled us to continue with product development,” said Reece Mills, the company’s Production Control Manager.

Automating the testing and inspection processes

However, moving production in-house presented Hanover Displays with a new set of challenges. It had to be able to both test and inspect the boards itself. Initially, this was a very manual process; even though it involved automated test equipment (ATE), the process was very hands-on and depended on complete operator concentration. Since the company processes some 240,000 printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) each year, there is a very high risk of the operators suffering from repetitive strain injury.

Hanover therefore took the decision to automate these processes more comprehensively, which required a new system for testing PCBAs. It chose Omron TM’s cobots for the tasks, supplied and installed by Absolute Robotics, a small robot integrator based in Bristol.

“As well as addressing the health and safety issue of our employees, we also wanted to guarantee a consistent cycle time. Unmanned running was really important to us, so we wanted to ensure that the cobots could run at night time, too, for more throughput, yet with less effort,” said Hanover Displays’s Operations Director, Sean Winter.

Omron TM cobots feature simple programming along with integrated vision capability. There are several models, offering different levels of payload and reach.

“One of the key drivers was that Hanover wanted the cobots to interact with the existing manual test equipment. The cobots therefore have special tooling that allows them to open and shut the manual testing equipment,” said Geoff Ferguson, Managing Director of Absolute Robotics.

Relying on cobots

Hanover wanted to use the cobots with both its processing and display boards, which meant exploiting their full potential. This included using the built-in vision systems, particularly for the display boards, to ensure that the LEDs were lighting up in correct sequence. Subsequently, the company invested in six more Omron TM cobots, installed in two production lines. These take the LED display boards from a standard storage rack and test them.

One of the challenges that Absolute Robotics faced was that Hanover Displays produces a wide variety of sizes and shapes of circuit boards for its display panels. The cobots needed to be able to handle these different types of boards, so Absolute Robotics built flexible tooling that can self-adjust, to successfully handle all of them. The programme can also handle any number of LEDs, from hundreds to tens of thousands.

“We realised the benefits of the cobots quite quickly, after implementing the first system,” said Hanover’s Mills. “What we’d planned and hoped for was that we’d be able to run unmanned and this happened quite quickly. The return on investment for the whole system was just two years. The tests involve very repetitive processes, and I think the biggest thing for me is being able to redeploy and upskill our staff.”

Winter added: “From a quality assurance point of view, we have full traceability of our PCBAs. This means every time we inspect a PCBA, we get a record that tells us if it’s passed or failed. We’ve also benefited from an additional 1,100 hours per year of unmanned running. At Hanover, we always want to invest in our future. It’s about looking at technology, how it’s moved forward and how we can apply it to our business.”

By Omron field application engineers

A Glance at Our Presence

ASC hosted our own 350 square-meter booth, complete with a balcony, café seating, and a coffee and snack bar fully staffed with a barista and service team. Over the four days of the event, we invited visitors to enjoy free food and drinks and the opportunity to meet with members of the ASC team. At ASC, we believe the customer always comes first and strive to provide the best service and benefits in the international electronics industry. Electronica 2022 gave us the perfect opportunity to put that philosophy into practice for potential customers. Before leaving, everyone who stopped by got to spin our wheel of fortune for a prize. Free cocktails and vouchers for free shipping are just some examples of the items one was able to win. On the last day of electronica 2022, a professional violinist performed at the booth and enchanted the ears of every visitor in Hall B4 for several hours.

Supply & Demand Dilemma

One of the main topics of conversation at electronica 2022 was the distribution challenges many manufacturers and suppliers are facing. Like many other industries, the international electronics industry has suffered from shipping delays, supply chain bottlenecks, and shortages of both raw materials and skilled workers.

ASC’s Global Solution

At our booth, visitors from around the world got the opportunity to see electronic component distribution in a new light. Without the proper components, electronics manufacturers cannot meet global demand for a wide variety of products. Their options are to scale down production and lose profit or replace their usual materials with inferior ones, potentially hurting their reputation and leading to future revenue loss. ASC has over 5 million semiconductors, passives, and electromechanical components in stock from over a thousand name-brand suppliers. We can deliver anywhere in the world within 24 to 48 hours, helping to keep production lines moving. We also offer free quality testing, so our customers know that when we say, “quality is non-negotiable,” we really mean it.

“With DISCON, we are ensuring absolute compatibility between the development board and any of the supported displays, regardless of their size and type,” said Nebojsa Matic, MIKROE CEO.

The DISCON standard specifies functional and æsthetic requirements that must be respected in the development process. This includes the physical layout of the display board, communication and power supply pins, the size and the shape of the display board, and the silkscreen marking conventions for both the add-on boards and sockets. It permits all sizes and styles of TFT display to be used – currently 3.5in, 4.3in, 5in and 7in units, and capacitive, capacitive with bezel, capacitive with frame, and resistive styles are supported.

The DISCON display board socket consists of a 2×20-pin connector with a proprietary pin configuration and silkscreen markings. The connector is a female 2×20-pin device, on a standard 2.54mm pitch. It may also have a polarization post for easier positioning of the display board. The pin-out consists of four different groups of pins – I2C, GPIO, data pins for the parallel data-port, and optional control pins – along with power supply pins.