Eastman Kodak Co. has licensed its organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology to Denso Corp. of Japan for use as passive-matrix displays in automobiles. Terms were not disclosed. The technology, also referred to as organic electroluminescence (OEL), offers bright displays that are viewable from a very wide angle.
The flat panels are specially designed organic thin-film materials that emit light when stimulated by an electric current. The emitted light can be individual colors of red, green or blue, or they can be combined to create full-color, high-resolution image displays. Advantages over conventional technologies include lower power consumption, higher brightness in a variety of lighting conditions, as well as very wide (165 degrees) viewing angle and thinner design.
"Our technology is uniquely suited for a wide range of electronic displays, especially in applications that require brightness and clarity, such as dashboard displays," said Leslie Polgar, president, Display Products, Eastman Kodak Company. "We're pleased that Denso has chosen to expand the use of OLED displays into automobiles, and we look forward to incorporating our image science into other products and markets." The agreement also gives Denso the opportunity to purchase Kodak's patented OLED materials.
Kodak pioneered OLED in the late 1980s and has more than 100 patents (issued and applied for) related to the technology. Besides Denso, Kodak's OLED licensees include Pioneer Corporation; TDK Corporation; eMagin Corporation; Nippon Seiki Co., Ltd.; Lite Array, Inc.; TECO Electric & Machinery Co.; Ltd., Rohm Co.; Ltd., Opsys Ltd., Ritek Corporation; SK Display Corporation, a joint venture with Sanyo Electric Company; and Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., a Kodak joint development partner.
Denso is a global supplier of advanced technology, automotive systems and components, employs 85,000 people in 29 countries and regions. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001 totaled US $16.2 billion.
For further information about Denso, visit http://www.globalDenso.com.
Kodak is a leader in helping people take, share, enhance, preserve, print and enjoy pictures -- for memories, for information, for entertainment. The company is a major participant in "infoimaging" -- a $225 billion industry composed of devices (digital cameras and PDAs), infrastructure (online networks and delivery systems for images) and services & media (software, film and paper enabling people to access, analyze and print images). Kodak harnesses its technology, market reach and a host of industry partnerships to provide innovative products and services for customers who need the information-rich content that images contain.
The company, with sales last year of $13.2 billion, is organized into four major businesses: Photography, providing consumers, professionals and cinematographers with digital and traditional products and services; Commercial Imaging, offering image capture, output and storage products and services to businesses and government; Components, delivering flat-panel displays, optics and sensors to original equipment manufacturers; and Health, supplying the healthcare industry with traditional and digital image capture and output products and services.
For additional information about Kodak, visit: www.kodak.com