New screen technology behind extra-bright display

Paul Boughton

Since Juniper Systems' rugged hand-held computer, the Archer 2, has garnered much attention, particularly its IllumiView display. The Archer 2 suits a wide variety of data collection purposes including geomatics, natural resources, public works, agriculture, industrial and military markets.

In designing the Archer 2, Juniper Systems conducted customer research and found that their customers’ most important need was a high-quality display that was easily readable in direct sunlight. The company recently published a blog post describing its efforts in meeting this need, and in fact, surpassing expectations.

Juniper Systems lists three main steps it took to provide the highest-quality display possible. Firstly, the company was extremely selective in choosing the display component, finally settling on a first-rate display from an excellent manufacturer. Secondly, it diverged from past tradition and switched from a resistive touchscreen to a capacitive touchscreen. While the company states that there are advantages to both types, it cites capacitive technology’s particular conduciveness to superior luminance and clarity, even allowing for 20 per cent greater display brightness over resistive touchscreens. And thirdly, Juniper Systems describes using a particular technology, called optical bonding, to fuse the touchscreen to the display.

Most rugged handheld displays have an 'air gap' between the touchscreen and the display which allows for light refraction, and thereby decreases the display’s brightness and clarity. In contrast, optical bonding involves attaching the touchscreen directly onto the display, eliminating the air gap, and consequently increasing the display’s brightness and image clarity. The company asserts that optical bonding can increase a display’s luminance by about 15 per cent over a non-optically bonded display. 

For more information, visit www.junipersys.com