The technology industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by plasma display’s superior picture quality, wider viewing angles, and ability to display deep blacks and vibrant colours, and growing importance of technologies such as gas discharge cells, addressable electrodes, and phosphor coatings. These advancements have contributed to the growth of the market and the popularity of plasma displays in various applications, such as televisions and large-scale digital signage. In the last three years alone, there have been over 3.6 million patents filed and granted in the technology industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Technology Innovation: Plasma display. Buy the report here.
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However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
300+ innovations will shape the technology industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the technology industry using innovation intensity models built on over 2.5 million patents, there are 300+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, microphone beamforming, live betting games, and quantum dots are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Circuit design testing, smart contracts, and surround sound systems are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are vehicle platooning and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) power management, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the technology industry
Plasma display is a key innovation area in technology
Plasma display is a flat panel display technology where small gas pockets are electrically ignited to illuminate each pixel on the screen, creating a visible image with bright light.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 20+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established technology companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of plasma display.
Key players in plasma display – a disruptive innovation in the technology industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to plasma display
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2022) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Beijing Electronics | 636 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Semiconductor Energy Laboratory | 232 | Unlock Company Profile |
| LG Display | 184 | Unlock Company Profile |
| TCL Technology Group | 100 | Unlock Company Profile |
| AUO | 83 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Shenzhen Tianma Microelectronics | 61 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sharp | 61 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Samsung Group | 53 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Aviation Industry | 39 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Tian Ma Microelectronics | 35 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kabushi Kaisha Limited Energy Kenkyusho | 27 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Japan Display | 26 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Innolux | 21 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hon Hai Precision Industry | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Synaptics | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| HannStar Display | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| LG | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Apple | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Textron | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Wuhan Huaxing Optoelectronic Technology | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sony Group | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| MediaTek | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Bundesdruckerei | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Shenzhen Huaxing Optoelectronics Technology | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Beijing Electronics is a leading patent filer in the plasma display space. One of the company’s patents addresses the issue of existing gate line driving circuits being unable to output a synchronous driving signal. It includes a gate line driving circuit, a circuit for emitting a control signal, and a display device. The gate line driving circuit has a power input pin for receiving an effective voltage (VGH) to control the switching transistor in the pixel region. During the display phase, the power input pin inputs the effective voltage (VGH) and a synchronous driving signal during the touch phase. Other prominent patent filers in the space include Semiconductor Energy Laboratory and LG Display.
By geographic reach, Semiconductor Energy Laboratory leads the pack, followed by Sony Group and LG Display. In terms of application diversity, MediaTek holds the top position, followed by Sharp and TCL Technology Group.
Plasma displays can produce deep blacks and handle fast-motion content, which makes them well-suited for applications like home theatres and gaming. Furthermore, plasma displays have contributed to the advancement of large-screen displays, providing consumers with immersive visual experiences and enhancing the overall quality of digital content consumption.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the technology industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Technology.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
