"Flexible Display" After playing a wave of "Gao Yan Leng" in the spring of 2019, the second quarter was a bit weak: Samsung's foldable mobile phone was completely postponed due to the "evaluation accident", and scheduled orders can be returned. At the same time, although Huawei's folding screen mobile phone has no problems, it is also rumored to be "cautious" and choose to release it at a later time.
Such a message shows that "flexible display" is not easy. However, the charm of flexible display is difficult to resist. As a result, the latest LED large screen products are also showing "softening ability": During InfoComm 2019 held in the United States from June 12th to 14th, LG showcased thin-film technology flexible curved LED display products with a convex curvature of up to 1000R.
To achieve flexibility, LED display must be more "hard core"
LG’s newly exhibited LAPE series of curved LEDs are now ready, using a specially designed flexible LED display module that supports true concave-convex installation with a convex curvature of up to 1000R, achieving greater design flexibility. That is, this product can be designed as a cylindrical display device with a minimum radius of 1 meter. Although this radius is not yet able to "melt into the support column of any building" well, it is already curved enough for the traditional LED display with a "planar" display design.
At the same time, LG also demonstrated a LAT series of thin-film displays, LED display thin-film products with a thickness of only 2 mm. The main feature is that it can be installed on any "glass". As a specially designed product, it is ultra-thin and transparent. nature. Its market goal is to turn the glass fences and glass curtain walls of department stores and other indoor public places into translucent display screens, or to provide differentiated advertising displays for street windows.
In addition, LG also demonstrated Micro-LED display technology using 50-micron LED crystal particles to create next-generation LED display products. On the whole, the innovations of these products are "cut-off enough", or that they have not yet become large-scale practical products. However, from the perspective of the final product market, LG's flexible LED display is more unique. In particular, it is described as "supporting true concave-convex installation", which is eager to form a "high-brightness and high-definition" display on the exterior of any indoor or outdoor building. Previously, only the "architectural light-sculpting" technology of engineering projectors could do this-and although the projection display is good for building protection, the effect in the daytime is "not ideal".
Of course, many new technologies are needed to realize the flexible bonding and curved surface of LED large screens. Including the flexibility of the circuit board, the packaging and sealing issues between the LED pixels under the curvature, the reduction of the "cracking and compression" degree of the front and back of the module under the curved surface, the ultra-thin module design must be adopted, and so on. This requires brand-new materials, processes and product structures. Of course it also means higher costs. In short, breakthrough innovative applications are always based on the support of hardcore technology. The LED display needs to be “soft” or not. “Folding products can be developed on the mobile phone display, which also breaks through the “flexible bottleneck” of basic circuits and materials.” Industry experts believe that for the entire electronics and display industry, it has become flexible. The era is an inevitable technological trend. In this regard, many detailed technologies, experiences and materials do not distinguish between large and small display products, but can be publicly applied. For example, LG has also introduced rollable OLED TVs and waved splicing OLED video wall units.
However, in the LED display large-screen market, it must be said that this 100-billion-level industry group is currently supported by "rigid" displays-and there is no lack of curved screens. How to realize the curved LED large-screen display for rigid display products? The essence is that these large curved display screens do not require great curvature. Regardless of whether it is for exterior or interior applications, LED arcs can be constructed in a similar way to "polyhedrons" through small modules. And because the curvature is not very large, the display effect is still satisfactory.
Therefore, if LED display products are to achieve "flexible" characteristics, they must first open up a brand-new market: display engineering design that requires a large curvature. This often refers to creative commercial, cultural or advertising display products, rather than simple traditional "LED large screen application scenarios." "Just like LG's ultra-thin transparent LED screen, which mainly faces glass windows and glass guardrail advertising displays; LG's flexible LED screen is also a "specific design" product for "commercial" exhibitions and innovation markets." Industry insiders pointed out that the brand new The combination of flexible technology and LED large-screen display is not to challenge the "application method" of the existing market, but to further develop differentiated new application markets. ——This is also determined by the "cost difference" between traditional rigid LED large screens and flexible LED screens.
Using differentiated products to overtake LG's product concept and technology application is "more advanced". This is also reflected in another LED display giant Samsung in South Korea. In this regard, industry experts pointed out that the LED display industry is in an explosive growth stage, but not every company has seized the first pass.
In fact, the most lively area of LED display products in the past 5 years, the indoor small-pitch LED product market has always been "the Chinese legion dominates"-popular applications, mature market segments and low-end price space have all been All occupied by Chinese companies. And Chinese companies are still attacking higher-end applications: For example, at the same InfoComm 2019 exhibition in the United States, National Star Optoelectronics demonstrated mini-led modules with P0.7 pitch. Domestic LED display companies including Alto, Radiodetection, Easystar, and Lianjian demonstrated their Mini LED display products.
