A thin-film liquid-crystal heads-up display has been developed by one of the world’s largest automotive technology, systems and components suppliers, DENSO.
The innovative heads-up display (HUD) has been designed to project critical driving information onto the windscreen for drivers, and is expected to be featured on the 2018 Lexus LS.
This human machine interface (HMI) is reportedly the world’s largest automotive head-up display with a near 24-inch projection.
DENSO has been producing HUDs since 1991 and says that its latest HUD projects a virtual screen approximately three meters ahead of the driver, enabling the driver to more intuitively access key information about the vehicle and its surroundings without changing the direction their gaze.
The technology displays not only basic information, such as speed limits and the vehicle’s driving speed, but also the locations of pedestrians through external sensors.
It also provides lane guidance assistance by using an automotive navigation system featuring an arrow indicating the appropriate lane to follow at junctions and intersections.
Additionally, the HUD takes into consideration the relative position of information displayed, its colors and other visual effects – all without obstructing driving, according to DENSO.
Its display has also been developed to be brighter than conventional HUDs to better ensure screen visibility in bright, daytime conditions.
HUDs do not require drivers to look far away from the road, and therefore are expected to emerge as a key technology for manufacturers across the globe in the coming years.
DENSO in the UK
DENSO directly employs almost 1,500 people in the UK and has several facilities across the country, including: a manufacturing site in West Yorkshire producing radiators, oil coolers and inter-coolers, a similar site in Shropshire manufacturing automotive air conditioners, heaters and radiators, and its main business in Hertfordshire where it carries out application engineering and testing, among other activities.
