Smart mobile vehicles have become an important tool in global transportation. Indoor and outdoor mobile vehicles leverage cutting-edge AI, communications, and semiconductor chip technologies in addition to sensors, decision-making, and control technologies to deliver smart, safe, energy-efficient, and high-performance transportation.
Demands related to green economy and smart mobile vehicles from enterprises and the government are expected to increase with the introduction of unmanned vehicle technology policies and the Autonomous Vehicle Technology in Empirical Operation Subsidy Program, and the global labor shortage and aging population challenge will speed up the formation of relevant industries as well.
As control and sensor technologies advance, new business models are being developed across numerous industries. For example, the smart remote mobile vehicle monitoring and inspection service for outdoor environments increases safety and fosters a congestion-free and accident-free traffic environment. This service improves the transportation system’s energy consumption effectiveness and safety while enabling smooth traffic flow. Furthermore, more smart mobile vehicles are being applied in cleaning, equipment security and maintenance as well as passenger and cargo transportation since the government, businesses, and the public are becoming increasingly aware of smart mobile vehicles.
Judging from the development trends, the use of mobile vehicles in various spaces will be redefined and even generate new business models to meet the demand for mobility services. The green economy sector will also have more room to grow.
Developing LED Display Technology to Create High Industry Value
Established in 1999, Macroblock is a professional IC design company and the world’s largest display LED driver IC factory. The company focuses on LED-related driver IC R&D and its products have successfully entered the vehicle-mounted system and commercial drone markets. The latest goal for Macroblock in the mobile vehicle application market is to develop large LED display screen consoles to build monitoring and operation platforms for airborne and road mobile vehicles, as in the future, monitoring systems for drones, and autonomous vehicles and boats will play a crucial role in the fields of public infrastructure maintenance and inspection, remote monitoring, and beyond visual range/remote operations.
The development and capabilities of conventional TFT-LCDs were previously constrained by the poor light conversion efficiency and low light transmittance of optical materials. However, the new mini-LED backlight display technology offers high-performance light source control and energy-saving features, and local dimming designs also support the new high-resolution display panel technology.
Macroblock and ITRI collaborated on the Super Narrow Pixel Pitch LED Digital Display Technology Project in 2017 with the goal of entering the micro-LED digital display technology market. The project aims to accelerate the development of micro-LED display modules and apply micro-LED in super narrow pixel pitch displays to raise the overall value of the LED display industry. In the same year (2017), Macroblock also invested NTD 100 million in the R&D of ITRI’s micro-LED key technologies to speed up product commercialization in emerging markets.
In 2022, Macroblock took part in the digital transformation of Taiwan’s industries as well as the local industries’ entrance into the global cyber-physical integrated virtual sound stage market. Makee Studio, Macroblock, and ITRI jointly launched Taiwan’s first film-level XR virtual soundstage with a narrow pixel pitch micro-LED curved backscreen. This new high-quality application venue for the film and television industry can be used for film and commercial advertising productions, television broadcasting, and network live broadcasting.
Developing Smart Safety Platforms for Drone Applications
Macroblock has been focusing on mobile vehicle operation safety and key component development for many years. The company integrates advanced control systems to meet the remote operation needs of smart mobile vehicles. Remote mobile vehicle monitoring solutions are created by combining mobile vehicle electronics modules with peripheral systems, broadening the technology’s use in this area.
An example of leveraging the new technology to bring smarter and safer maintenance and inspections to public infrastructure would be the drone aerial operations control station, a smart safety platform developed specifically for drone applications by Macroblock and ITRI exhibited at the April 2023 Smart City Expo. Public infrastructure inspections and maintenance used to be done manually. In addition to requiring high helicopter costs, the workers had to clean and inspect high voltage pylons in ultra-hazardous environments. But with this new control station, which incorporates ITRI’s drones and Macroblock’s super narrow pixel pitch curved LED (pixel pitch: 0.75 mm) display console, workers can successfully complete the high voltage pylon cleaning and inspection task with much lower risk.
This 0.75 mm super narrow pixel pitch curved LED display console dramatically increases drone operation safety and has significant commercial drone market potential. It can be applied in areas such as public infrastructure maintenance and cleaning as well as remote operation stations for firefighting operations. Macroblock managed to reduce R&D costs and shorten the payback period with mass crystal grain transfer technology and is looking into new product application opportunities (substrate technology, line-width PPI, glass substrates). In the field of smart cockpits, Macroblock can provide features such as wide color gamut, high contrast, high-temperature resistance, and high brightness to meet the customization needs of automakers, increase yield, and accelerate market entry.
Photo 1: Drone aerial operations control station
The Sustainable Development of Smart Mobility
To comprehend technology needs in the industries, Macroblock is gathering information on emerging markets and integrated application demands in response to the recent mobility revolution trend. ITRI continues to collaborate with major manufacturers in key technology R&D, assist in micro-LED display module development, reduce R&D costs, and shorten the payback period. In the area of mobile vehicles, Macroblock is likely to speed up the local industry’s entry into the automotive smart cockpit display market with its curved LED display console, which can improve the safety of drone operations and reduce the number of personnel required to work in hazardous environments.
With the rise of new smart mobile vehicles, ITRI will keep working in sub-areas such as Mobility Revolution, Digital Empowerment, and Phygital World to produce new applications and achieve sustainable industry development through the generation of safe and smart mobile technologies.
