With more and more people adopting large flat panel displays, you can be sure that their power consumption have also risen accordingly. Not so if Tama Fine Opt (TFO) has their way – the company recently developed a 32″ backlight unit that sips a mere 39W of juice. This is in contrast with its predecessor of similar size, taking up 60W in just last year. In order to achieve such low levels of power consumption, TFO came up with a quartet of improvements as described below.
First, the number of CCFLs (cold cathode fluorescent lamp) used in the 32-inch backlight unit was reduced to six in terms of straight tubes (three U-tubes are used this time). Normally, 10 to 12 tubes are required for a 32-inch backlight unit. In 2007, the company reduced the number to eight. Second, its optical elements were reviewed. TFO improved not only the elements themselves but also the method to laminate optical films such as the order of lamination. Though the company did not disclose the details, the method is different from the one commonly used. Third, TFO revamped the inverter circuit. The company did not use a general-purpose inverter and optimized the operating points of the circuit for the new backlight. Fourth, the gas pressure inside the CCFL was optimized. And the design of the backlight unit was reviewed so that the temperature inside the unit becomes high to enhance the light-emitting efficiency of the CCFL. Specifically, the unit was redesigned to be able to store heat inside.
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