"Flicker," has been a primary concern for the U.S. Navy in applications that require the display of sonar "waterfall" data. Over time, the continual luminance flicker can cause eye fatigue to the user, as well as make it difficult to interpret the information contained in the waterfall data.
This problem is inherent in most liquid crystal display (LCD) flat panels when they display high-contrast, high-density moving data. To address it, engineers at Lockheed Martin Defense Systems in Eagan, Minn., chose the RFD 251 20.1-inch color rugged flat-panel display from Barco Inc. in Duluth, Ga.
The display has a built-in luminance flicker compensation solution. The results are that the flat panel with this compensation has passed initial Navy evaluation at the Naval Underwater Center at Newport, R.I., says Roy Brandenburg, systems engineer at Lockheed Martin. Company designers will be using these displays in consoles that display sonar waterfall data, he adds.
Testers also put the Barco 20.1-inch LCDs through a series of performance evaluations, including acoustic signal data, video (taped and generated), and photometric, and radiometric characteristics. The displays received a top rating by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md. - J.R.
For more information about the Barco displays, contact the company by phone at 678-475-8000, by fax at 678-475-8100, by post at 3059 Premier Parkway, Duluth, Ga. 30097, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.barco.com
Lockheed Martin Tactical Defense Systems is using "flicker-free" liquid crystal displays from Barco in U.S. Navy applications.
