E-Paper & Displays
Digital Signage Without a Power Socket
A 42-inch colour display for out-of-home use, based on E Ink Kaleido 3, sealed to IP67 and managed over the cellular network.
Project / Client
E Ink is the world market leader in electronic paper, headquartered in Taiwan with a European presence in Eindhoven. Its partner network comprises more than a hundred companies.
IOX is also a partner in the E Ink network. Together, the two developed a digital display board: E Ink supplies the display technology and IOX builds the product.
The Situation
Outdoor displays had a persistent problem. They had to be where people see them – and that is rarely where there is a power socket.
Conventional LED boards did not solve this. They draw power constantly, which in battery operation means regular maintenance, and they are hard to read in sunlight.
On top of that came the requirement to manage content centrally. A timetable or a price changes, and nobody wants to drive out just for that.
The Key Question
What does a display have to be able to do so that a sign without a power connection and without maintenance visits always stays up to date?
Electronic paper holds its image without power flowing. That solves half the task. The other half is wireless connectivity, the energy budget, sealing and an interface for changing content.
What We Built
PRODUCT: The display is a 42-inch colour display based on E Ink Kaleido 3. The housing is sealed to IP67, i.e. dust-tight and protected against water jets. The display stands on a mobile base and can be moved instead of being permanently installed.
SYSTEM: The display communicates via NB-IoT and LTE-M, so no on-site network is required. Content is managed centrally from the cloud, with display functions such as scrolling text, counters and time.
TEAM: E Ink contributes the display technology and its experience with the material. IOX is responsible for the electronics, wireless connectivity, energy concept, robust implementation and the cloud side.
The Result
A display went live in places where none could stand before. No power connection, no network connection, no maintenance visit to change content.
Content management works better. Content is changed centrally, and in sunlight the display remains as readable as printed paper.
It opened up a whole class of applications: advertising space, public transport timetables, wayfinding and information in buildings and in the city – wherever information changes and there is no permanent power supply.
42 inch
colour display based on E Ink Kaleido 3
IP67
dust-tight and protected against water jets
0 W
display power at rest – the image stays without power