TAUNTON, Mass., 12 Nov. 2007. The new CyberDisplay 640M LVR display from Kopin Corp., a U.S. manufacturer of microdisplays for mobile consumer and military applications, is being used in the U.S. Army's new thermal weapon sight program, the TWS Bridge, which has a potential volume exceeding 150,000 units. This high-tech display is specifically designed to operate at temperatures as low as -40 degrees C with nearly "Instant-On" capability, an achievement for liquid crystal displays. This performance is achieved without the need for an external heater, significantly reducing display system power consumption.
"This latest award represents a solid endorsement of Kopin's technology as the microdisplay of choice for the U.S. military," says president and CEO Dr. John C. C. Fan. "Our design team was inspired by a challenge from our major Department of Defense (DOD) equipment suppliers to develop a display system capable of operating at extremely low temperatures with unsurpassed power efficiency. Our innovative display solution not only meets the needs of the TWS Bridge product, but will likely be adopted across a broad range of DOD applications."
The CyberDisplay 640M LVR monochrome display with VGA (640x480) resolution combines two of Kopin's patent-pending inventions: Kopin's low-voltage (LV) architecture, which reduces AMLCD video levels by 50 percent, and Kopin's latest "Vcom Thin Film" technology, which serves as an active matrix element while simultaneously operating as an integral heating element.
The complete display system, including Kopin's new general-purpose back-end ASIC driver, dissipates less than 130 mW during normal video-rate operation. This low-power operation, combined with the low temperature "Instant-On" capability, leads to increased battery life for the soldier and reduced procurement costs for the DOD.
The CyberDisplay 640M LVR is being readied for volume production in early 2008. Qualification and accelerated life testing of the display was conducted earlier this year with exceptional results.
Developments are underway to incorporate the "Instant-On" technology into full-color displays with resolutions up to 1280 x 1024. Kopin anticipates making the "Instant-On" technology available in its full line of military displays by the end of 2008.
"Kopin's Instant-On displays raise the bar significantly in terms of battery life and operational readiness for ultra-portable military systems," states Michael Presz, the company's vice president of Government Programs. "Our new displays dramatically reduce the power requirements because of reduced video levels and ultra-efficient integral heating elements. The net effect is lighter-weight systems and extended battery life. In addition, cold-start performance can be achieved within 10 seconds at a fraction of the power used in currently deployed systems."
