DENSO Corp. has invested 30 billion yen (approximately $270 million) in JOLED Inc., a developer of printed organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays. The investment accelerates JOLED’s development and mass production of in-vehicle OLED displays, which are used for human-machine interfaces (HMIs) in car cockpits to deliver key driving information to the driver quickly and accurately. Compared to conventional HMIs, which use thin-film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCDs), JOLED’s OLED displays offer higher-definition images, more vivid colors and are designed to be thinner, lighter and bendable – making them easier to install and produce more optimized light output for improved HMI functionality.
“DENSO’s investment in JOLED directly enhances the advancement of human-machine interfaces – technologies that are critical to keeping drivers informed behind the wheel safely,” said Hirotsugu Takeuchi, executive director of DENSO. “Working with JOLED will help us create a new mobility future that’s safer for all, emphasizes efficiency and smartly applies problem-solving innovations to the real world.”
As cars become more connected, more information can be provided to drivers to help them ensure effective road safety. Because of this, there is a growing demand for HMIs that can display information in a more visually appealing, larger and easier-to-understand format – all while encouraging drivers to stay focused on the road. OLED displays enable these characteristics and will continue to gain prominence as HMIs are called upon to deliver improved visibility, more dynamic design and increased operational efficiencies.
JOLED was among the first in the world to commercialize printed OLED displays, and the company’s OLED printing method is simpler and more efficient than traditional manufacturing approaches, DENSO says. This investment will enable DENSO to combine its accumulated technology and know-how regarding HMIs with JOLED’s OLED printing, thereby speeding up the development and mass production of various types of OLED displays for instrument clusters, center-stack displays and other devices, and thus contribute to the development of more attractive and convenient cockpits.
DENSO says it will continue to emphasize the development of its HMI technologies, which underpin the ongoing evolution of vehicles, and will seek to create cockpits that streamline interaction between human and machine to create a society free from road traffic accidents.
