Press Contacts
OSRAM OPTO SEMICONDUCTORS PROVIDING IMAGE PROJECTION AND IR TECHNOLOGY FOR RECONFIGURABLE TACTILE DISPLAY FROM DIGITAL DASH
Las Vegas, Nev. (June 18, 2008) – OSTAR®-Projection LED modules and IR DRAGON® infrared emitters from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors are the LED light sources behind a new reconfigurable control and display interface designed by Digital Dash, Ltd. of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
The Digital Dash Reconfigurable Tactile Display (RTD) prototype model is the world’s first multi-touch interface that incorporates physical controls with a curved display surface. The display is well-suited for use in automobiles, sound mixing boards, and other control- and image-intensive user interface applications.
The RTD is composed of a rear projector/camera unit and a display/control surface. The projector displays images such as audio controls, maps or other indicators on the screen, including images that interface with the physical controls (knobs, buttons, faders) on the display surface. The camera senses the position of the controls or the user’s touch on the screen, eliminating wires and electrical components found in conventional instrument panels. The control surface – which can feature plastic construction and curved / irregularly shaped designs – uses 3M Vikuiti™ beaded rear-projection film to provide a high contrast, high-resolution image.
With Digital Dash’s system, any given screen area, knob or fader can be easily customized and configured to perform multiple functions, thereby maximizing control panel real estate for designers of audio production and sound mixing equipment. In an automobile, the RTD allows for safe integration of all auto control functions (audio, heating/AC, navigation, rearward camera) in a fully customizable, software-based technology while reducing part count and assembly cost. The RTD is also well-suited for video editing, industrial control, military and home control use.
The visible projected image in the Digital Dash RTD is powered by OSRAM’s OSTAR-Projection high-performance LED light sources. The compact OSTAR-Projection modules consist of six RGB LED chips that generate exceptional brilliance and vibrant colors with pure surface emission and extreme brightness, thanks to OSRAM’s Thinfilm and ThinGaN® chip architecture.
OSRAM’s IR DRAGON® infrared emitter floods the display area with infrared light, allowing the CMOS camera to detect touch contact, knob rotations and button movement at the dashboard or control surface. The IR DRAGON’s combination of power, efficiency and thermal resistance make it ideal for continuous-use audio production and automotive designs.
“Sound mixer manufacturers have been trying to integrate graphical displays in and around knobs, buttons and faders for many years now,” said Tim Pryor, Jr., president of Digital Dash. “They were also among the first to embrace multi-touch, long before the current trend in consumer electronics. Our Tactile Display is the only technology that enables large format sound mixer and digital audio workstation (DAW) manufacturers to easily integrate both multi-touch and graphically reconfigurable controls, while also enabling fully customizable workspaces for their different markets, such as music production, film post, broadcast and live sound.”
Tom Shottes, president and CEO of OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, Inc., added, “The touch screen market understands the benefits of RTD technology and we are working to bring this next generation of innovation to the market through the advancements in high power and efficient visible and infrared solid state light sources. With Digital Dash’s technology, the futuristic screen designs we see in forward-thinking concept displays can now be a reality.”
Digital Dash’s fully functional RTD prototype will be on display at InfoComm 2008 in Las Vegas, June 18-20, at the OSRAM Sylvania booth, #C2118.
For more information, please contact OSRAM Opto Semiconductors at
www.osram-os.com or call 888-446-7726.
PHOTO – download hi-res photo from www.macrovis.com/nr/OOS-068.html
Digital Dash's Reconfigurable Tactile Display is the world's first multi-touch interface that can incorporate physical controls with a curved display surface. IR DRAGON® and OSTAR®-Projection modules from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors provide IR emission and image projection technology.
About OSRAM Opto Semiconductors:
OSRAM is part of the Industry sector of Siemens and one of the two leading manufacturers in the world. Its subsidiary, OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH in Regensburg (Germany), offers its customers solutions based on semiconductor technology for , sensor and visualization applications. OSRAM Opto Semiconductors has production sites in Regensburg (Germany) and Penang (Malaysia). Its headquarters for North America is in Santa Clara (USA), and for Asia in Hong Kong. OSRAM Opto Semiconductors also has sales offices throughout the world. In the 2007 fiscal year (to the end of September) OSRAM Opto Semiconductors employed more than 4,000 people and achieved sales totaling 520 million euros. For more information go to www.osram-os.com.
About Digital Dash:
Digital Dash, Ltd. is a pioneer in the area of multi-touch, reconfigurable displays and has been awarded several patents in this area, with several more pending. The company has developed projection display and machine vision technologies to create reconfigurable, ergonomic and intuitive user interfaces that simplify man-machine interaction for complex digital devices. Digital Dash's commercialization efforts are supported and funded in part by McMaster University and the Ontario Centres of Excellence. Digital Dash is headquartered in Hamilton, Ontario.
OSTAR®-Projection, ThinGaN® and IR DRAGON® are trademarks of OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, Inc. Vikuiti™ is a trademark of 3M.