Sharp Corporation has developed a liquid crystal display for in-vehicle applications that achieves a contrast ratio of 1500:1, the industry’s highest.

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Compared to LCDs for consumer products such as personal computers and TVs, in-vehicle LCDs used in car navigation systems and as monitors for rear-seat entertainment systems must be more highly resistant to vibration and must function reliably over a broad range of temperatures.


Recently, the widening selection of maps and the proliferation of video titles on DVD are driving a shift to even larger screen sizes and higher resolutions. Moreover, it is expected that in-vehicle LCDs will be further developed for use in instrument panels.


The re-engineering of various display components, in particular, the colour filter, and the revamping of the LCD panel’s pixel design made it possible to achieve a display that delivers unprecedented deep, rich blacks and has a contrast ratio of 1500:1 – the industry’s highest and triple that of previous models – while maintaining the high durability and reliability demanded of an in-vehicle display.


This new LCD can, for example, be adopted for use in instrument panels to make them easier to read. It provides outstanding design options, evoking a strong unified appearance when coupled unobtrusively with the typical flat black colour of instrument panels. When the vehicle is being driven, this new LCD can display, among other things, the speedometer reading. When it is being parked, that same LCD can provide the driver with a map or a video camera image of the area behind the vehicle. A wide variety of displays previously impossible using mechanical meters are now possible.

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Sharp has consistently developed in-vehicle displays that give rise to new applications, including the dual directional viewing LCD (formerly called the two-way viewing-angle LCD) and the triple directional viewing LCD and claims it will lead the growing market for in-vehicle LCDs.