LED display - Wikipedia

Display technology

This article is about light-emitting diode (LED) based displays. For LED-backlit displays, see LED-backlit LCD . For matrixed text displays, see Dot-matrix display

Not to be confused with Vacuum fluorescent display

Detail view of an LED display with a matrix of red, green and blue diodes

A LED display is a flat panel display that uses an array of light-emitting diodes as pixels for a video display. Their brightness allows them to be used outdoors where they are visible in the sun for store signs and billboards. In recent years, they have also become commonly used in destination signs on public transport vehicles, as well as variable-message signs on highways. LED displays are capable of providing general illumination in addition to visual display, as when used for stage lighting or other decorative (as opposed to informational) purposes. LED displays can offer higher contrast ratios than a projector and are thus an alternative to traditional projection screens, and they can be used for large, uninterrupted (without a visible grid arising from the bezels of individual displays) video walls. microLED displays are LED displays with smaller LEDs, which poses significant development challenges.[1]

History

[

edit

]

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) came into existence in 1962 and were primarily red in color for the first decade. The first practical LED was invented by Nick Holonyak in 1962 while he was at General Electric.[2]

The first practical LED display was developed at Hewlett-Packard (HP) and introduced in 1968.[3] Its development was led by Howard C. Borden and Gerald P. Pighini at HP Associates and HP Labs, who had engaged in research and development (R&D) on practical LEDs between 1962 and 1968. In February 1969, they introduced the HP Model 5082-7000 Numeric Indicator.[4] It was the first LED device to use integrated circuit (integrated LED circuit) technology,[4] and the first intelligent LED display, making it a revolution in digital display technology, replacing the Nixie tube and becoming the basis for later LED displays.[5]

Early models were monochromatic by design. The efficient Blue LED completing the color triad did not commercially arrive until the late 1980s.[1]

In the late 1980s, Aluminium Indium Gallium Phosphide LEDs arrived. They provided an efficient source of red and amber and were used in information displays. However, it was still impossible to achieve full colour. The available "green" was hardly green at all – mostly yellow, and an early blue had excessively high power consumption. It was only when Shuji Nakumura, then at Nichia Chemical, announced the development of the blue (and later green) LED based on Indium Gallium Nitride, that possibilities opened for big LED video displays.

The entire idea of what could be done with LED was given an early shake up by Mark Fisher's design for U2's PopMart Tour of 1997. He realized that with long viewing distances, wide pixel spacing could be used to achieve very large images, especially if viewed at night. The system had to be suitable for touring so an open mesh arrangement that could be rolled up for transport was used. The whole display was 52m (170ft) wide and 17m (56ft) high. It had a total of 150,000 pixels. The company that supplied the LED pixels and their driving system, SACO Technologies of Montreal, had never engineered a video system before, previously building mimic panels for power station control rooms.

Today, large displays use high-brightness diodes to generate a wide spectrum of colors. It took three decades and organic light-emitting diodes for Sony to introduce an OLED TV, the Sony XEL-1 OLED screen which was marketed in 2009. Later, at CES 2012, Sony presented Crystal LED, a TV with a true LED-display, in which LEDs are used to produce actual images rather than acting as backlighting for other types of display, as in LED-backlit LCDs which are commonly marketed as LED TVs.

Large video-capable screens

[

edit

]

The 2011 UEFA Champions League Final match between Manchester United and Barcelona was broadcast live in 3D format in Gothenburg (Sweden), on an EKTA screen. It had a refresh rate of 100 Hz, a diagonal of 7.11 m (23 ft 3.92 in) and a display area of 6.192×3.483 m, and was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest LED 3D TV.[6][7]

Development

[

edit

]

Early prototypes

[

edit

]

Further reading:
The Components of Communication Electronics PCBA
Efficiency and Safety Redefined: The Encapsulated Transformer
Is TFT display better than AMOLED?
How Do Deep Cycle Battery packs Work?
What are Types and Applications of Lithium Batteries?
Advantages and Applications of OLED Display Modules
How to Install LED Neon Flex: Step-by-Step Guide

A claim for the 'first all-LED flat panel television screen' is presented in this section. It was possibly developed, demonstrated and documented by James P. Mitchell in 1977. Initial public recognition came from the Westinghouse Educational Foundation Science Talent Search group, a Science Service organization.[8][verification needed] The paper entry was named in the "Honors Group" publicized to universities on January 25, 1978.[9] The paper was subsequently invited and presented at the Iowa Academy of Science at the University of Northern Iowa.[10][11] The operational prototype was displayed at the Eastern Iowa SEF[12] on March 18 and obtained a top "Physical Sciences" award and IEEE recognition. The project was again displayed at the 29th International SEF at Anaheim Ca. Convention Center on May 8–10.[13] The ¼-inch thin miniature flat panel modular prototype, scientific paper, and full screen (tiled LED matrix) schematic with video interface was displayed at this event.[14][15] It received awards by NASA[16] and General Motors Corporation.[17][18][19] This project marked some of the earliest progress towards the replacement of the 70+-year-old high-voltage analog CRT system (cathode-ray tube technology) with a digital x-y scanned LED matrix driven with an NTSC television RF video format. Mitchell's paper and operational prototype projected the future replacement of CRTs and included foreseen applications to battery operated devices due to the advantages of low power consumption. Displacement of the electromagnetic scan systems included the removal of inductive deflection, electron beam and color convergence circuits and has been a significant achievement. The unique properties of the light emitting diode as an emissive device simplify matrix scanning complexity and have helped the modern television adapt to digital communications and shrink into its current thin form factor.

The 1977 model was monochromatic by design.

Recent developments

[

edit

]

MicroLED displays are currently under development by numerous major corporations such as Sony, Apple, Samsung, and LG.

These displays are easily scalable, and offer a more streamlined production process. However, production costs remains a limiting factor.[20]

The 40m large LED display at the Armin Only event in April 2008 in the Jaarbeurs Utrecht

See also

[

edit

]

References

[

edit

]

• LED displays at Wikimedia Commons

The electroluminescence phenomenon was discovered in 1907 by Henry Joseph Round in a brief two paragraph note. This was the beginning of the lengthy journey towards LED screens as they are today.

 

The first LED was created by Oleg Losev in 1927. He investigated the effect, theorised how it worked and imagined practical applications. Then the first visible-spectrum red LED was developed by Nick Holonyak in 1962 as an alternative to infrared light. Red LEDs were first mass produced in 1968 by the Monsanto Company used as indicators. The blue LED was created in 1993 by Shuji Nakamura who then went on to win the Nobel Prize in Physics for his invention in 2014. By coating blue LEDs with phosphor it was discovered that a portion of the light can be converted to green, yellow and red light. The first white LED was presented in 1995.

 

Development in LED technology is rapid, particularly in terms of efficiency and brightness. Since the 1960s, a doubling of these factors has occurred roughly every 36 months. But how has all of this interlinked with the LED screens themselves?

 

The first true LED screen was developed by James Mitchell in 1977, going on to receive awards from NASA. It only used one colour because of the lack of efficient blue LEDs at the time however this has changed and now big screens are made up of red, green and blue LEDs. However, when discussing LED this mainly refers to LED backlighting because it involves less energy, better contrast and brightness, more colours, more rapid responses and more accurate rendering.

 

Discover 10 innovative examples of LED uses here or find out about Fonix’s LED screens here.