Continental New Heads Up Display Chosen By 2 European Car Manufacturer

The international automotive supplier is preparing for volume production of the next generation of head-up displays. After the introduction six years ago of the first generation of a head-up display that was based on a powerful TFT display that could depict any image depiction two different vehicle manufacturers will begin to use a new generation head-up display in 2010 and 2011.

Car manufacturers can use the head-up display to show various information relevant to the journey, such as speed, navigation details and warning information, directly in the driver's line of vision. This allows the driver to fully concentrate on the road without missing out on important information. This in turn leads to increased safety, as it takes an average of one second to read information on the screen in the central console, which at 50 km/h means the vehicle already has traveled approximately 14 meters.

Reducing the installation space was one of the most important goals for the Continental engineers. Even with the restricted space in the cockpit, there had to be at least a minimum amount of room for the optical system to project a high-quality virtual color image. Like glancing in a rearview or side mirror, the driver sees the virtual image, but not as a flat, static picture on the windshield. Rather, the driver perceives it as "floating" over the hood at a distance of about two meter.

With the new generation of head-up displays, the Interior division of the Continental Automotive Group has met the manufacturers' requirements for tailor-made products, while at the same time optimizing costs. The modular concept allows the customer to use a range of illustrative elements according to their needs, and can project a high-quality image in a large variety of vehicles. This forms an ideal basis for presenting information from driver assistance or navigation systems. This way, the driver can directly register and use this information without taking his or her eyes off the road.

Credits: wilswong