Displays for Transportation

The research indicates that the most important criteria for people choosing public transportation are, in addition to the quality of the service provided and the comfort of the trip, the timeliness and transparency of information about it. LCD displays capable of long-term, continuous operation and displaying dynamic content are needed to ensure passenger satisfaction. Modern transportation systems can meet these expectations.

Special shape and parameters

To make the most of even the most unusual sized surfaces, display manufacturers have developed TFT glass-cutting technology that allows for shapes ranging from square to oblong rectangles with non-standard proportions.

LCD modules used in transportation systems are designed to meet the requirements of a diverse range of challenging environments. For Litemax products, the mean time between failures (MTBF) is approx. 100,000 hours, which makes them great for applications requiring 24/7 operation, and thanks to their optimized backlight layout, they feature lower electromagnetic disturbance levels and lower power consumption.

Key for LCD monitors used outdoors is the readability of information even in bright sunlight. High brightness (1,000 to 2,500 candelas), wide viewing angles and high contrast are a must. Selected display models for transportation-related applications are shown in the table below.

Selected stretch displays (BAR TFT)

Diagonal	Manufacturer	PN	Resolution	Active area [mm]	Brightness	Contrast	OT [st .C]
37.6	Litemax	SSF3805-I	1920×540	919.296×258.5	1000	8000*1	0+50
47.8	Litemax	SSF47888-B	1920×178	1209,6×275,5	1600	1700*1	0+50
29	Innolux	S290AJ1	1920×540	698.4×196.425	1000	4500*1	0+50
29	AUO	P290IAN01.0	1920×540	698.4×196.42	700	1500*1	0+50
37	AUO	P370IVN02.0	1920×540	904.32×254.34	700	4000*1	0+50
42	AUO	P42OIVN02.0	1920×480	1039.68×259.92	1500	4000*1	0+50
48.5	AUO	P485IVN01.0	1920×360	1209.6×226.8	700	4000*1	0+50
48	BOE	DV480FBM-N01	3840×720	1194.04×223.88	1000	1000*1	0+50

Selected displays for outdoor applications

Diagonal	Manufacturer	PN	Resolution	Active area [mm]	Brightness	Contrast	OT [st .C]	Hi-Tni
32	Litemax	DLH3200-G	1920×1080	698.4×392.85	2500	1100*1	0+50	YES
43	Litemax	DLH4300-L	1920×1080	941.1×529.4	2500	1500*1	0+50	YES
55	Litemax	DLH-5500-L	1920×1080	1209.6×680.4	2500	1000*1	0+50	YES
32	AUO	P320HVN04.1	1920×1080	698.4×392.85	1500	4000*1	0+50	YES
43	AUO	P430HVN05.0	1920×1080	940.89×529.25	1500	4000*1	0+50	YES
46	AUO	P460HVN04.3	1920×1080	1018.08×572.67	1500	4000*1	0+50	YES
55	AUO	P550HVN06.4	1920×1080	1209.6×680.4	2500	4000*1	0+50	YES
65	AUO	P650HVN05.1	1920×1080	1428.48×803.52	2500	4000*1	0+50	YES
85	AUO	P850QVN01.1	3840×2160	1872×1053	2500	5000*1	0+50	YES

High resistance

The operating temperature range for this type of product is on average 0 – 50°C, but the resistance of TFT glass can be as high as -40 to 110°C (Hi-Tni), which makes it possible to use it in areas with high sunlight without the risk of black spots on the matrix.

Manufacturers also provide resistance to other harsh environmental conditions. In monitor solutions, a standard seal between the glass protecting the display and the housing allows for IP65-level resistance (dust and water jets). There are also products with increased resistance – up to IP68, i.e. completely resistant to dust and designed to be underwater (for a certain period of time, depending on the model, about 30-60 minutes).

Monitors in outdoor applications are protected from vandalism attacks by glass with resistance ratings from IK7 to as high as IK10 (protection against mechanical impacts from 2 to as high as 20J).

For even better readability

To further enhance the perception of the displayed information, technologies to improve color reproduction and area-based brightness control (local dimming) can be used. This is the function responsible for local dimming of the image, which maximizes the contrast between dark and light areas of the screen significantly improving the depth of blacks.

In addition, manufacturers offer the service of optical bonding (gluing) . This technology allows the display to be combined with special coatings, such as. AG (anti-glare), AR (anti-reflex) or polarizing filters. Due to the high popularity of polarized eyewear, manufacturers of displays for outdoor applications are increasingly opting for a special polarizer design, so that the content displayed will also be readable by people using this type of eyewear.

E-paper as an alternative to LCD

For applications that display static information, an interesting alternative may be the use of displays e-paper . Their indisputable advantages are exceptional readability in full sunlight, almost full viewing angles and very low power consumption. Comparing LCD and e-paper display of similar size (LCD: 32“ Hyundai IBT, H325SSI – outdoor; EPD: 31.2“ E Ink, ED312TT2) assuming an operating time of 16h/day, it can be seen that LCD consumes more than 111 times more energy than EPD (assuming image update every 1h and its duration – 1s) – results in the table.

	Power consumption	Total energy consumption for 1 day cycle	Total consumption for a cycle of 1 year
LCD	145W	2.3 kWh	846.8 kWh
EPD	23.7W (for updates)1.3W (image maintenance)	0.02 kWh	7.6 kWh

A problematic issue with EPD displays can be their thinness and vulnerability, making them difficult to install in end devices. The solution to this problem turned out to be created by Unisystem open frame modules . They not only provide mechanical safety and protection against e-paper degradation (thanks to the laminated UV filter), but also, thanks to the front glass, a modern and elegant appearance. Open frame also includes dedicated controllers that allow communication via one of four interfaces (SPI, USB, Wi-Fi, GSM).

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