E-ink annouces next generation segmented display cells

E Ink(R) Corporation, the leading developer and marketer of electronic paper display technology, today announced general availability of its next generation segmented display cells (SDC). The SDC products are simple digit, icon and alpha-numeric displays, offering exceptional readability in a paper-thin form factor that uses minimal
battery power. The new SDCs are 40% thinner with a wider operational temperature range and increased flexibility for repetitive 3-D bends or 2-D conformable solutions. Applications include consumer electronics, PC-accessory, display smartcards, capacity indicators, electronic shelf labels, signage and communications applications. The SDC displays use the same E Ink Vizplex(TM) technology that is shipping in popular electronic book devices such as the Amazon Kindle, SONY Reader and iRex iLiad.

"When you need information to make a decision, an E Ink SDC display lets you see it quickly and clearly from any angle," said Russ Wilcox, President and CEO, E Ink Corporation. "With a paper-thin and flexible plastic display that can be cut to any shape, innovative product designs are limited only by the imagination of the designers."

"After an extensive review of display technologies, Delphi chose E Ink's segmented electronic paper displays for our wireless, bi-directional key fob that has been designed to offer car-to-user and user-to-car communication over an extremely long range," said Joe DiCarlo, Director of Engineering for Controls and Security in North America, Delphi. "The groundbreaking fob offers packaging flexibility and does not consume much power. Because it provides drivers valuable vehicle information and control, it is imperative that its display can be read in bright sunlight. Thanks to E Ink, that is possible."

"E Ink has enabled us to offer superior display solutions to the world's leading producers of smart cards for bank card and OTC token applications" said George Ou, CEO of Smart Displayer. "E Ink's displays are flexible, extremely thin, sunlight readable and consume very little power."

High Performance Rugged Displays

Thinner, more flexible and wider operation ranges all highlight the performance increase of the latest generation of E Ink SDCs. Three height levels are available, depending on backplane configuration: thin PET 330 microns, PET 380 microns, or PI 375 microns. PET options provide 200 micron design rules for the art work or space and trace of 8 mils by 8 mils. The finer pitch PI option uses 100 micron design rules for 4 mils by 4 mils. Increased temperature ranges with operations from -10(degree)C to 60(degree)C, and storage from -25(degree)C to 75(degree)C.

Think Outside the Rectangle

Organic non-rectangular unique shapes are possible, including holes, curves, and other non-standard designs. Additionally, E Ink's SDC platform provides viewable angle of nearly 180(degree) and can be viewed under a variety of lighting conditions from direct sun to low-level ambient light. E Ink's Vizplex based electronic paper solutions are bistable, reflective displays which enable the image to remain for over a year with zero power.

Custom Design to Mass Production

Custom rapid product development is easy with E Ink's SDC "Design to Mass Production" program. Starting from a customer-supplied CAD file, E Ink typically can supply production-ready samples within eight weeks after artwork approval and enter mass production within twelve weeks. E Ink has partnered with several chip suppliers, including Dialog Semiconductor, Epson Semiconductor, Solomon-Systech, and Citizen who have developed compatible segmented display driver ICs.

Standard SDC Products

E Ink is now offering six standard SDC designs for fast prototyping and application specific solutions. Standard parts include stacked 10-bar, graduated 5-bar, 100%, MB/GB, 8-digit and 6-digit SDCs.

About E Ink Corporation

E Ink Corporation is the world's leading supplier of electronic paper display (EPD) technologies. E Ink's technology is ideal for many consumer and industrial applications spanning handheld devices, eBooks, PC-accessories, watches, clocks, and public information displays and promotional signs. E Ink is a private corporation that includes among its investors and strategic partners TOPPAN Printing Company, The Hearst Corporation, Intel Capital, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., and Motorola, Inc. E Ink news can be found at: www.eink.com.

Worldwide ART Technology, Funkwerk Information Technologies Karlsfeld (FITK) GmbH, Lexar Media, Motorola, Qwizdom, Seiko-Epson, Smart Displayer, and UPM have shipped products powered by E Ink's segmented ePaper technology.

Thinner, wider operational temp range, rugged ePaper SDCs enable
displays to go where none have gone before

E-paper products shown at SID

"LONG BEACH, Calif. — Electronic paper seems to be coming of age. E Ink Corp. exhibited a slew of recently launched products at the Society for Information Display conference here this week. The Cambridge, Mass., company also showed flexible-display prototypes from half a dozen E Ink customers, signaling a rapid advancement in flexible displays across the industry in the past year.

Meanwhile, Nemoptic, another e-paper contender, talked about its first-generation product for electronic shelf labels for grocery stores, a $10 billion market. Also at SID, Nemoptic is launching its A4 e-paper display for application in business and government offices and point-of-sale displays. The company has already shipped samples to major office equipment suppliers.

Notable "world firsts" using E Ink technologies included a flexible, color 14-inch electronic-paper panel from LG.Philips LCD on steel foil and the biggest-ever glass monochrome electronic-paper panel — 40 inches on the diagonal — from Samsung Electronics.

E Ink also announced that a research breakthrough in its ink chemistry has achieved video-switching speeds for the first time. "Our research team is demonstrating here an ultrabright ink that is approaching 50 percent reflectance of ambient light, compared to 35 percent in shipping monochrome products," said Michael McCreary, vice president of research and advanced development at E Ink.

Samsung Electronics demonstrated a 40-inch display using E Ink's Vizplex technology, which consumes 300 milliwatts at one frame per minute, or 1/500 the power consumption of a conventional LCD. Such a display using electronic ink would be appropriate for digital signage and office information applications, according to E Ink.

One of he most popular e-books incorporating E Ink displays is Arinc's eFlyBook, the General Aviation eReader used by commercial pilots to look up airport takeoff-and-landing approaches.

Six segments
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Jacques Noels, CEO and president of the management board of Nemoptic, has defined six strategic segments with differentiated features and display sizes for his company's BiNem technology. They range from 1 x 3-inch electronic shelf labels to e-books, newspapers, albums and larger (10- to 14-inch) displays for the education and professional markets.

Nemoptic, headquartered near Paris with a production unit in Sweden, is applying its bistable nematic technology to LCDs. Display content remains on view without using any power thanks to the technology's internal-memory effect.

Nemoptic has signed on with Seiko Instruments Inc. for high-volume manufacturing of its bistable LCDs at Seiko's Microtechno plant in Akita, Japan. The first units are expected to roll out at the end of the second quarter. The Seiko plant has a worldwide reputation as one of the most modern sites for high-volume production of color supertwisted-nematic liquid-crystal displays."

VIA

E-Ink Upgrades Panels

Vizplex_imaging_film You have to see e-ink to "get" the easy-on-the-eyes effect, intended to reflect light (like a proper book) more than generate it (like a screen.) Looking at the specs — four levels of grey, refresh rate from hell — doesn't do it justice. Their new version of the ingenious display film, however, named "Vizplex," gives those numbers a bump.

Refresh rates are nearly doubled, from 1.2 seconds to 740ms, with the contrast ratio (reflectivity, to be precise) increased from 32-35 percent to 40 percent. There will also be eight levels of grey. The newer model will also allow allow for a wider range of panel sizes, meaning we could see paperback- and magazine-sized models for the fall (they're also touting 2-inch cellphone/DAP screens).

via wirednews