What is a Segmented LCD Screen?

Definition and Principle

A Segmented LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is a fixed display screen used to present numbers and characters. Its principle involves controlling the lighting and extinction of different segments to achieve the display of numbers and characters. Specifically, the patterns on a segmented LCD are directly etched into the glass using a film mold, meaning that the text can only be controlled to light up or not, and cannot be changed into other Chinese characters or images. For instance, the numeral '8' on a segmented LCD is actually composed of seven small segments, and the display of numbers from 0 to 9 is achieved by controlling the lighting and extinction of these seven segments.

Types and Modes

Segmented LCDs come in various types, including TN, HTN, STN, FSTN, and VATN. Their color modes include yellow-green, gray, black, white, blue, etc. The display modes are divided into positive and negative, while the optical modes include reflective, transmissive, transflective, and holographic.

Application Areas

Segmented LCDs are widely used in automotive instruments, beauty devices, small household appliances, watches, electronic scales, clocks, landline phones, calculators, and other products. Since they can only simply display numbers and characters, they mainly replace LED numeric displays (composed of seven segments used to display numbers 0 to 9).

Advantages and Limitations

Segmented LCDs offer advantages such as fast response speed, high contrast, low cost, low power consumption, small size, and low radiation. They are also easy to control and customize. However, compared to dot matrix LCDs, segmented LCDs have limited functionality, as they can only display numbers and characters and cannot display Chinese characters or images.