A rollable display is a flexible display that can be rolled up into a scroll. Technologies involved in building a rollable display include electronic ink, Gyricon, and OLED.
Electronic paper displays which can be rolled up have been developed by E Ink. At the CES 2006, Philips showed a rollable display prototype, with a screen capable of retaining an image for several months without electricity.[1] As of 2007 Philips Polymer Vision expected to launch a 5-inch, 320 x 240-pixel rollable display based on E Ink’s electrophoretic technology.
Some flexible organic light-emitting diode displays have been demonstrated.[2] The first commercially sold flexible display was an electronic paper wristwatch.
A rollable display is an important part of the development of the roll-away computer.
Advantages
Rollable displays have many advantages over glass: better durability, lighter weight, thinner dimensions, and can be perfectly curved and used in many devices. Moreover, the major difference between glass and rollable display is that the display area of a rollable display can be bigger than the device itself; If a flexible device measuring, for example, 5 inches in diagonal and a roll of 7.5mm, it can be stored in a device smaller than the screen itself and close to 15mm in thickness.
Applications
With the flat panel display having already been widely used more than 40 years, there have been many desired changes in the display technology, focusing on developing a lighter, thinner product that was easier to carry and store. Through the development of rollable displays in recent years, scientists and engineers agree that flexible flat panel display technology has huge market potential in the future.
Rollable displays can be used in many places:
1. Mobile devices.
2. Laptops and PDAs.
3. A permanently conformed display that securely fits around the wrists.
4. A child's mask for Halloween and other uses.
5. An odd-shaped display integrated in a steering wheel or automobile.
These are some of the many uses for flexible displays.
Samsung Youm
In January 2013, Samsung exposed its brand new, unnamed product during the company's keynote address at CES in Las Vegas. Brian Berkeley, the senior vice president of Samsung's display lab in San Jose, California had announced the development of flexible displays. He said "the technology will let the company's partners make bendable, rollable, and foldable displays," and he demonstrated how the new phone can be rollable and flexible during his speech. Samsung officially released its first flexible mobile phone called "Youm". "Youm" has curved display screen, the use of OLED screen giving this phone deeper blacks and a higher overall contrast ratio with better power efficiency than traditional LCD displays. Also this phone has the advantages of a rollable display; it is lighter, thinner, and more durable than LCD displays.
Samsung did not give a specific date to launch "Youm" in the market. However, Samsung stated that "Youm" panels will be seen in the market in a short time and production will commence in 2013.
See also
- Modular design
- Smart watch
References
