OLED mini projector prototype for mobile phones using a series of lenses developed
By Laura June 
posted June 29th 2009 7:19PM
posted June 29th 2009 7:19PM
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute -- partnered with project HYPOLED -- have created an OLED mini projector prototype for mobile phones. Unlike many previous iterations of similar technologies, this new prototype doesn't need an additional illumination system, instead relying on a lens system to project images produced by an OLED onto a screen or wall -- making it both smaller and more energy efficient. The prototype currently displays a monochrome image with a brightness of 10,000 candelas per square meter, and color images with a brightness of about half of that. The lenses are also made of glass at this point, though cheaper and simpler plastic ones are in the works. No word on when we might see these prototypes hitting the streets in actual projector phones, though.
[Via Gizmag]
[Via Gizmag]
Plastic lenses would also be lighter for mobile phones!
Yeah - because at the size we're talking about, weight is a real issue...
Josh, grow some muscles you bitch.
Will these have better graphics than the mini projectors that are out already or to come?
Gonna be a long week...
A series of tubes would be better.
we already tried that, and it spun out of control
you beat me to it!
"10,000 candelas per square meter"
And how the hell does that compare to the existing pico projectors?
It doesn't. This measurement is useless without knowing how far it was projecting.
Plugging 10,000 and 90 into this converter wizard gets you 18 lumens: http://led.linear1.org/lumen.wiz.
It actually doesn't tell you anything at all. If that 10,000 candelas/m^2 were over a 0.01m^2 surface, it would not be that fantastic (100 candela). If it was over a full square-meter that would be something else.
Ahh, the joys of marketing speak.
isn't brightness output of the projector and brightness of the reflected image different? maybe this is supposed to be a perceived brightness of a given size image, and as the image shrinks when you bring the projector closer, the perceived brightness of the image increases, so you would divide by the square meters of the image.
before you call me an idiot, I know that this is a ridiculous proposal, but I'm trying really hard to be optomistic about OLED projection. it just isn't turning out well.
Awkwardly phrased headline about cool new technology using too many clauses posted on website.
Cool story, though.
agreed. Tht title is a bit confusing....
i would like it much more if they just made a connector for me to connect my phone to a proper projector instead of this rly weak projectors that are only effective at ridiculously small distances.
I cant picture myself needing to project anything so badly that it couldn't wait for a computer/tv or be seen on the local screen.
I can. I can project "kick me" and pictures of genitalia onto people's backs. Oh joy.
So, let's take a display technology that already suffers from short lifespan, and overdrive it to make it project.
Sounds great.
I can see the possible uses...
Combine this with a projector keyboard, and have a complete laptop in a mobile phone.
20-30 inches is big in comparison to any laptop screen.
OLED is the wrong technology for projectors.
LED & LCD technology is already here, it's cheaper, it lasts longer, and has been proven viable already for smaller display sizes. Companies that try to develop the third generation of a product while the second generation is still in its infancy are taking a huge risk.