| Planar Launches Electroluminescent VMC-SmartDisplay |
| Written by Planar Systems, Inc. | |
| Tuesday, 20 May 2008 | |
Planar's Electroluminescent Displays Featured in the VMC-SmartDisplayPlanar Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLNR), a worldwide leader in specialty display solutions, today announced that its electroluminescent (EL) display technology will be incorporated in the VMC-SmartDisplayTM developed by Seattle-based Vehicle Monitor Corporation (VMC). The VMC-SmartDisplay is designed to make it easier and faster for specialty vehicle manufacturers to graphically display the intelligence in their vehicles' data buses, to increase users' productivity and uptime. This new collaboration supports Planar's continued investment in EL specialty display technology and expands the Planar line of innovative displays for transportation market applications. Industrial vehicles operate in harsh environments, experiencing high-duty cycle, heavy vibration and extreme temperatures. Market demands for increasing productivity requirements have pushed the adoption of vehicle messaging, automated reporting and vehicle tracking systems. When combined with the trends of rising fuel costs and more emissions regulations, vehicle designers are pushed to explore increasingly complex vehicle control systems. The VMC-SmartDisplayTM will combine Planar's EL display technology, which has more than 25 years of proven durability in harsh conditions, with embedded software and a microprocessor to interface with a vehicle's data bus and analog sensors. The VMC-SmartDisplayTM software provides key operating, safety and maintenance information to the driver, and dispatcher in real time. The information link will help improve productivity and help drivers with logs, troubleshooting and diagnostics, maintenance scheduling, fault reporting and warranty, lube and maintenance guides, and safety checks. The module leverages scripting tools for rapid development of the user interface, adding the benefit of reducing screen development costs by 80 percent. "The VMC-SmartDisplay is an excellent example of how EL display technology and software can be combined to display vehicle intelligence and simplify the management of valuable equipment," said Doug Barnes, general manager and vice president of Planar's industrial business unit. "This collaboration with Vehicle Monitor Corporation is a significant step to fulfilling Planar's ongoing strategy of pursuing display opportunities in the specialty transportation market and building partnerships with our customers." Traditionally, manufacturers of commercial, industrial, mining, and off-road vehicles have been limited in their options for selecting and displaying the key information needed, from the hundreds of messages and sensor readings available on the vehicle data buses of their vehicles. These connect to critical components such as engines, transmissions, ABS brakes, driver doors, and seatbelts. Manufacturers are faced with choosing between complicated, in-house development or foregoing features requested by their customers. With the VMC-SmartDisplayTM featuring Planar's EL display, OEMs can enjoy the fastest, most cost-effective option to equip an industrial or commercial vehicle dashboard with industry-compliant interfaces (SAE J1708 or J1939 or CAN data bus). This will enable the specialty vehicle manufacturer to offer more features without burdening their development teams with "ground up" design work. "Planar has been a proven partner for us," said Mike Van Schoiack, president and chief technology officer of Vehicle Monitor Corporation. "By combining the display, vehicle data bus and software expertise of both companies, we can more effectively provide an integrated solution for the challenges faced by this growing market." Additional product highlights for Planar's EL mobile terminals with VMC-SmartDisplayTM:
|
