kawasaki tft display factory

Every year, motorcycle manufacturers make various improvements to their lineup, everything from little internal details, to new paint, to full-on redesigns. Over the years we’ve watched these machines get better, faster, and safer. In the 2020 model year, though, the majority of motorcycle manufacturers seem to be hopping on the TFT wagon. What does that mean for us, the riders?

We are all familiar with the Thin Film Transistor, or TFT screen, on our smartphones, hand-held video game displays, computer monitors, and car “infotainment” systems. The technology has advanced rapidly in the last few years, and motorcycle manufacturers have suddenly determined that they are ready for the harsh environment a motorcycle display needs to endure. During an attentive walk around of the International Motorcycle Show in New York City this past weekend, we noticed that new bikeswithoutTFT screens are becoming the rare exception.

Some manufacturers began outfitting their newest bikes with TFT screens a couple of years ago, but the 2020 model year has seen a sudden industry-wide shift. Major manufacturers like BMW, Kawasaki, Honda, and Yamaha, and even smaller companies like Energica, outfit their bikes with a TFT.

All of us who have been riding for many years are used to analog dials and gauges. Some of us are concerned about the longevity of the TFT, and in my opinion, those concerns are valid. Certainly, we’ve all seen our smartphone screens give up the ghost after only a few years of use. Some of us have an affinity for older motorcycles and have repaired or restored those old analog speedometers and gauges. We know that they often work flawlessly for decades. When they need repair, it’s a question of fixing or replacing internal mechanical parts. Not so with the futuristic TFT screens.

Those of us who are not hopeless luddites tend to sing the praises of a screen that can and does change to show machine and engine speed, a navigation display, the state of the motorcycle’s electronic suspension, tire pressure, the traction control setting, and a whole host of other information. The versatility of a TFT over traditional analog gauges is unquestionable: we might soon be able to program them ourselves with our preferred screen settings, just like our smartphones.

From a manufacturing point of view, TFTs simplify the process. The same TFT can be used on every motorcycle in a manufacturer’s lineup, with only a change of software to make the screen bike-specific. Does that mean a TFT will eventually be extremely inexpensive and easy to replace, should it ever go bad? Right now they’re too new to know for sure, but manufacturers are installing them everywhere, so we will all find out soon enough!

Orient Display sunlight readable TFT displays can be categorized into high brightness TFT displays, high contrast IPS displays, transflective TFT displays, Blanview TFT displays etc.

The brightness of our standard high brightness TFT displays can be from 700 to 1000 nits. With proper adding brightness enhancement film (BEF) and double brightness enhancement film (DBEF) and adjustment of the LED chips, Orient Display high brightness TFT products can achieve 1,500 to 2,000 nits or even higher luminance. Orient Display have special thermal management design to reduce the heat release and largely extend LED life time and reduce energy consumption.

Our high contrast and wide viewing angle IPS displays can achieve contrast ratio higher than 1000:1 which can make readability under strong sunlight with lower backlight luminance. High brightness IPS displays have been widely accepted by our customers with its superb display quality and it has become one of the best sellers in all our display category.Transflective display is an old monochrome display technology but it has been utilized in our color TFT line for sunlight readable application. Orient Display has 2.4” and 3.5” to choose from.

Blanview TFT displays are the new technology developed by Ortustech in Japan. It can provide around 40% of energy consumption for TFT panels which can use smaller rechargeable or disposable batteries and generate less heat. The price is also lower than traditional transflective TFT displays. Orient Display is partnering with the technology inventor to provide 4.3” and 5.0”.

Orient Display can also provide full customized or part customized solutions for our customers to enhance the viewing experience. Orient Display can provide all the different kinds of surface treatments, such as AR (Anti-reflection); AG (Anti-glare), AF (Anti-finger print or Anti-smudge); AS (Anti-smashing); AM (Anti-microbial) etc. Orient Display can also provide both dry bonding (OCA, Optical Clear Adhesive), or wet bonding (OCR, Optical Clear Resin and OCG, Optical Clear Glue) to get rid of light reflective in air bonding products to make the products much more readable under sunlight and be more robust.

Touch panels have been a much better human machine interface which become widely popular. Orient Display has been investing heavy for capacitive touch screen sensor manufacturing capacity. Now, Orient Display factory is No.1 in the world for automotive capacitive touch screen which took around 18% market share in the world automotive market.

Based on the above three types of touch panel technology, Orient Display can also add different kinds of features like different material glove touch, water environment touch, salt water environment touch, hover touch, 3D (force) touch, haptic touch etc. Orient Display can also provide from very low cost fixed area button touch, single (one) finger touch, double finger (one finger+ one gesture) touch, 5 finger touch, 10 points touch or even 16 points touch.

Considering the different shapes of the touch surface requirements, Orient Display can produce different shapes of 2D touch panel (rectangle, round, octagon etc.), or 2.5D touch screen (round edge and flat surface) or 3D (totally curved surface) touch panel.

Considering different strength requirements, Orient Display can provide low cost chemical tampered soda-lime glass, Asahi (AGC) Dragontrail glass and Corning high end Gorilla glass. With different thickness requirement, Orient Display can provide the thinnest 0.5mm OGS touch panel, to thickness more than 10mm tempered glass to prevent vandalizing, or different kinds of plastic touch panel to provide glass piece free (fear) or flexible substrates need.

Of course, Orient Display can also offer traditional RTP (Resistive Touch Panel) of 4-wire, 5-wire, 8-wire through our partners, which Orient Display can do integration to resistive touch screen displays.

Engineers are always looking for lower cost, faster, more convenient interfaces to transmit signals and to accept data and commands. The numbers of available interfaces available in the market can be dazzling. Orient Display follows market trends to produce various kind of interfaces for our customers to choose.

Genetic Interfaces: Those are the interfaces which display or touch controller manufacturers provide, including parallel, MCU, SPI(,Serial Peripheral Interface), I2C, RGB (Red Green Blue), MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface), LVDS (Low-Voltage Differential Signaling), eDP ( Embedded DisplayPort) etc. Orient Display has technologies to make the above interface exchangeable.

High Level Interfaces: Orient Display has technologies to make more advanced interfaces which are more convenient to non-display engineers, such as RS232, RS485, USB, VGA, HDMI etc. more information can be found in our serious products. TFT modules, Arduino TFT display, Raspberry Pi TFT display, Control Board.

TFT LCD technology is that interface. All the potential of the data stored between your front and back wheels is released by the dazzling array of shapes and colours displayed by these newest dashboards. They can show you anything and everything, which in turn allows designers and engineers to load you up with more and more electronic features.

These dashes are a combination of the latest liquid-crystal display (good ol’ LCD) technology and the brilliance of thin-film transistors (TFT). TFT and LCD as a team can show us an endless variety of information in incredible clarity and colour, using very little power in the process. It is light weight and takes up very little space, vital considerations when motorcycle designers choose anything to perch above the steering head.

TFTs are certainly not new. The technology was developed in Bell Labs in the USA 60 years ago. It took a while to evolve and become commercially viable. The first TFT LCD colour TV, the tiny Epson Elf, was launched in 1984. This was just two years after Honda dazzled us with the very advanced VF750S, a bike that included an electronic speedo and tacho, as well as an LCD gear indicator, which doubled as a fault-code display.

But realistically, motorcycles of that era didn’t pack the electronic muscle that makes TFT displays almost compulsory nowadays. In fact, Honda perhaps overstepped the mark with its first VF and stripped much of the tech out of subsequent models. Motorcycles plodded along with analogue dials and filament-lit warning lights for years. That was fine while motorcycles were simple mechanical devices, but they’re now far more than that.

Today we need to control all manner of electronics in our motorcycles. Adjustable engine parameters. ABS. Adjustable traction control. A display of info configured for commuting. Another for track days. Entertainment. Communications. Navigation. Our mechanics need access to fault data. They need to update programming. Hell, there was even that scooter that flashed tweets across your screen. Which was that? No, probably best forgotten…

A TFT LCD display can be a touch screen giving you direct control, although dash- or handlebar-mounted buttons, toggles and switches are more common and practical on motorcycles. Arguably, the best setup puts all the controls on the handlebars, where they’re easily and (you’d hope) intuitively manipulated. BMW, for example, has taken great pains to try to make its multi-controller the centre of a logical system, one that demands little direct concentration to manipulate while you ride.

And therein lies the crux of good TFT-based information displays; is it intuitive, so a rider can scroll menus, get warnings, read information and choose settings without having their attention drawn away from the act of actually riding the motorcycle? Distractions kill.

TFT technology is indispensable in avoiding distraction as manufacturers flash more and more information at riders. Apart from the fact that we couldn’t get all the data without TFT LCD screens, we also couldn’t possibly digest it. We’d be facing dashboards that resembled the pilot’s view in the seat of a Boeing 747; dials, lights, buttons, digits and switches everywhere.

There are more subtle advantages of TFT LCDs. Compared with your old-school LCDs, you get better resolution, smoother movement across the screen, sharper contrast and better clarity in sunshine. That last point is a good one when the sun is reflecting off the screen, although there is still room for improvement there.

Viewing angles are a hot topic of conversation among TFT screen users. One drawback of the currently technology is that once you’re a little off-centre from the screen, the detail begins to disappear before the image vanishes altogether. That’s not a problem for us when we’re riding, as we’re centred in front of it and highly unlikely to need to look at it while dangling off the side of the bike.

Another essential factor in the rise of TFT dashboards is their willingness to take input from anything and everything. It will accept multiple digital inputs, giving you access to all your motorcycle’s vital signs, your sat-nav, your communications, your music. Naturally, it will do this wirelessly when the devices warrant it.

There are no limits to the graphic designs that can be assigned to TFT LCD displays. Take your pick of colours, typefaces, sizes, symbols and everything else. From a rider’s perspective, design is vital. Good dash design puts emphasis on crucial information being very visible. The most important info should have the most prominence.

Knowing the name of the person calling you on the phone could be good to know if you don’t want to be sprung wagging work to ride your motorcycle. TFT dashboards can, if the programming is provided, give you choices about what information sits centre stage at any particular time.

The quality of your own eyes may have something to do with whether a dashboard display works well for you, so try before you buy, and check the options available in the menus.

There are plenty of alternatives to TFT LCD screens, some relying on back-lit panels like TFT LCDs do, others emitting their own light. A third type projects images onto a screen. All three types are in use somewhere already, in TVs, mobile devices and more.

A short step up from TFT, IPS (in-plane switching) uses a different means of exciting the liquid crystals, which orientate differently. The result gives wider view angles, more accurate colours and better image quality, but it costs more and has greater power demands. The benefits probably aren’t worth it for a motorcycle screen, simply because we don’t need the quality that, say, a picture editor might demand from their Apple — which is one example of where IPS screens have been employed.

So-called LED (light-emitting diode) screens may imply they are their light source, but the reality is that the LEDs are usually just the source of backlighting for LCDs. In fact, there’s a good chance your TFT LCD screen is just this type.

OLED (organic LED) is different. As the name implies, they’re made from an organic source, electrically stimulated to produce the desired light. This type of display is used in TVs, computers and mobile devices. A handful of cars are using OLED displays, dating back to the Aston Martin DB9’s debut early this century.

Further down the track, electroluminescent displays (ELD), and variations on e-paper and other technologies, may come into play. ELD is already in use in many cars but generally in simpler dashboards than what’s being fitted to current TFT-equipped motorcycles.

Cost and efficiency will determine if and when anything else takes over, but for now TFT plays that role beautifully. Because of our mobile phones and computers, we’re already quite used to looking at flat screens, and we almost instinctively know how to use them as the conduit between us and our technology. Where older dashboards used to give us a page full of information, TFT screens give us a tome of information, displayed a page at a time.

Without TFT screens, we would not have access to the myriad technologies that now add efficiency, safety, entertainment and practicality to our everyday riding.

At the riskof oversimplifying a complex system that would baffle the average brain, your TFT LCD dashboard is created using layers. The thin film containing transistors — the TFT part — is merely one of them, trapped somewhere near the middle, and sandwiched between sheets of glass or transparent plastic.

A backlight behind the dash display is illuminated. However, the liquid crystals in the system block that light. Electrical signals to the crystals cause them to alter their orientation, releasing light. There are also polarising filters to add further control to the transmission of light.

Assuming the electrical impulses are correct, the transistors create a dancing light display to shine through the screen, revealing everything you want to know.

Every pixel ina TFT LCD display has its own transistor, maximising control across the whole screen. Pixel count dictates resolution, so the more pixels you have, the better your screen will look. In theory, there’s no reason why you couldn’t have cinema-quality movies playing seamlessly across your dashboard.

It can also be very efficient, in that the distribution of power is extremely fast, allowing very quick re-drawing of the displayed information, and power is only directed to where it is needed.

has a long experience in the market of displays for over more than three decades. The displays include products based on passive, TFT- and LTPS-technology, as well as colour filters and backlights. New display lines are utilizing AM-OLED technology.

Kawasaki’s fully electronic throttle actuation system enables the ECU to control the volume of both the fuel (via fuel injectors) and the air (via throttle valves) delivered to the engine. Ideal fuel injection and throttle valve position results in smooth, natural engine response and the ideal engine output. The system also makes a significant contribution to reduced emissions.

Electronic throttle valves also enable more precise control of electronic engine management systems like S-KTRC and KTRC, and allow the implementation of electronic systems like KLCM, Kawasaki Engine Brake Control, and Electronic Cruise Control.

Using the latest evolution of Kawasaki’s advanced modeling software and feedback from a compact IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) that gives an even clearer real-time picture of chassis orientation, KCMF monitors engine and chassis parameters throughout the corner – from entry, through the apex, to corner exit – modulating brake force and engine power to facilitate smooth transition from acceleration to braking and back again, and to assist riders in tracing their intended line through the corner. The systems that KCMF oversees vary by model, but may include:

Clever technology enables riders to connect to their motorcycle wirelessly. Using the smartphone application “RIDEOLOGY THE APP,” a number of instrument functions can be accessed, contributing to an enhanced motorcycling experience. Vehicle information (such as the odometer, fuel gauge, maintenance schedule, etc) can be viewed on the smartphone. Riding logs (varies by model, but may include GPS route, gear position, rpm, and other information) can be viewed on the smartphone. When connected, telephone (call, mail) notices are displayed on the instrument panel. Riders can also make changes to their motorcycle’s instrument display settings (preferred units, clock and date setting, etc) via the smartphone. And on certain models, it is even possible to check and adjust vehicle settings (such as Rider Mode, electronic rider support features, and payload settings) using the smartphone.

Kawasaki has long had a reputation for building great-sounding bikes – a characteristic inherent in the Kawasaki engine architecture – but it is only recently that effort has been put into crafting a specific auditory experience through careful sound tuning of either the intake or exhaust system.

Drawing on the know-how and technology possessed by the Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (KHI), Kawasaki’s supercharged engine delivers high engine output while maintaining a compact design. The key to achieving this incredible performance lies in the engine’s supercharger – a motorcycle-specific unit designed completely in-house with technology from the Kawasaki Gas Turbine & Machinery Company, Aerospace Company and Corporate Technology Division.

The importance of high efficiency in a supercharger is that, as the air is compressed, power-robbing heat gain is minimal. And while many superchargers are able to offer high-efficiency operation in a very limited range of conditions, the Kawasaki supercharger offers high efficiency over a wide range of pressure ratios and flow rates – meaning over a wide range of engine speeds and vehicle speeds. This wide range of efficient operation (similar to having a wide power band) easily translates to strong acceleration. The supercharger’s high efficiency and minimal heat gain also meant that an intercooler was unnecessary, greatly saving weight and space, and enabling the engine’s compact design.

KTRC, Kawasaki"s advanced traction control system provides both enhanced sport riding performance and the peace of mind to negotiate slippery surfaces with confidence. Multiple rider-selectable modes (the number of modes varies by model) offer progressively greater levels of intrusion to suit the riding situation and rider preference.

Less intrusive modes maintain optimum traction during cornering. Designed with sport riding in mind, they facilitate acceleration out of corners by maximizing forward drive from the rear wheel. And because Kawasaki’s sophisticated software bases its dynamic analysis on the chassis’ orientation relative to the track surface (rather than relative to a horizontal plane), it is able to take into account corner camber, gradient, etc., and adapt accordingly.

Tokyo, August 10, 2018—Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced today that it is launching new and improved 2019 models of its flagship motorcycles the Ninja H2 and Ninja H2 Carbon.*1 They will be released in select markets starting August 10, 2018. In addition, it is launching the 2019 model of the track-only Ninja H2R, more fully featured than ever. It will likewise be released in select markets starting August 10, 2018.

All three are supreme hyper-performance sport models developed to prove the collective strength of Kawasaki Group technology, where engines supercharged by a Kawasaki-made supercharger enable for acceleration beyond belief.

From the street monobloc caliper lineup of Italy’s Brembo, Kawasaki chose the latest and greatest, the Stylema, for the front brake. The Stylema is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, the M50, while also improving braking performance.

The instrument panel uses a full-color thin-film-transistor (TFT) LCD screen to display information functionally. It has a scrollable multifunction window and four selectable display modes. Riders can visually display needed information according to the riding conditions and their preferences, including supercharger boost pressure, throttle position, braking efficiency, and linear acceleration. The screen also adjusts its brightness automatically in response to ambient brightness for high visibility.

From the street monobloc caliper lineup of Italy’s Brembo, Kawasaki chose the latest and greatest, the Stylema, for the front brake. The Stylema is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, the M50, while also improving braking performance.

Team 38, an independent racing team made up of Kawasaki engineers and test riders, will be in the United States with the Ninja H2 to compete in this year’s Bonneville Speed Week motorsports event held at the Bonneville Salt Flats from August 11th through 17th, where they will enter the P-PB 1000 class.*3 The well-recognized event, where motorcars and motorcycles gather to challenge world speed records, has a history stretching back more than 100 years. Kawasaki first entered the event in 1967 with the A1R*4 and broke existing world records in two classes. After 51 years, Kawasaki aims to set a world speed record again.

All-digital TFT (thin-film transistor) color instrumentation gives the cockpit a high-tech, high-grade appearance and visibility. The screen’s background color is selectable (black or white), and screen brightness adjusts automatically to suit available light.

Display functions include: digital speedometer, digital bar-style tachometer, gear position indicator, shift lamp, fuel gauge, odometer, dual trip meters, current and average fuel consumption, remaining range, average speed, total time, coolant temperature, clock, battery voltage, Kawasaki service reminder, oil change reminder and the Kawasaki Economical Riding Indicator.

Basic functions available in the app include: telephone, map display, music, calendar, and contacts. Additionally, riders can opt to download third-party apps to add to their Kawasaki SPIN library to be able to interact with them on the TFT display. Available apps include Sygic (navigation), SENA (headset communication), and more.

*Kawasaki SPIN app is not intended for use during vehicle operation. Only use SPIN app when the vehicle is not being operated and it is safe to do so. Previous model year shown.

LCDs are widely used for various products ranging from compact-to-medium-size devices such as mobile terminals and PCs, to large-size devices including not only LCD TVs and digital signages for consumer use but also the display parts of industrial equipment.

We have been developing many types of products in the Panel manufacturing field as well, using our broad know-how accumulated in semiconductor manufacturing, and uniquely developed microprocessing technology. For LCDs, we offer an optimal photoresist for each purpose including specialized products with high sensitivity for the TFT / TN-STN process and other resists which form a black matrix for color filters. We have also developed photoresists forming reverse tapered ribs, or those that form Insulators for organic EL displays. For touch panels, we have commercialized materials form insulating films.

Photoresist used to form a black matrix which increases the contrast of the image of a liquid crystal display. The photoresist is colored with black pigment in advance and remains patterned on the color filter and forms a black matrix.Liquid photoresist

HIGH-TECH ELECTRONICS: TFT color instrumentation and Bluetooth® smartphone connectivity add high-tech elements to the ride and allow you to connect to the Ninja® 650 motorcycle like never before.

USEFUL INFORMATION AT A GLANCE: All-digital TFT (thin-film transistor) color instrumentation gives the cockpit a high-tech, high-grade appearance and visibility. The screen’s background color is selectable (black or white), and screen brightness adjusts automatically to suit available light. Display functions include: digital speedometer, digital bar-style tachometer, gear position indicator, shift lamp, fuel gauge, odometer, dual trip meters, current and average fuel consumption, remaining range, average speed, total time, coolant temperature, clock, battery voltage, Kawasaki service reminder, oil change reminder and the Kawasaki Economical Riding Indicator.