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Head-up-Display



The above picture may possibly exceed the experience with head-up displays so far. In this case, the image could also be shown on the lower part of the windscreen as is shown in the normal display. A distinct advantage is, one is less distracted and is only given the most important information, e.g., a mixture made up of speed, navigation and possibly also road sign recognition. To enable this, the windscreen must be accordingly prepared or the data must be projected onto a Perspex sheet in front of the windscreen.

In the top picture an active head-up display can be seen in operation. It perceives that which the driver can also see and uses, so to speak, the whole windscreen as a computer monitor. A mixture of a real picture and an animation, in our picture it gives an urgent warning concerning the car in front. However, there's no need to be worried, the system is not on the market yet. Presumably there are still a number of tests to be carried out, so that in the future, when looking through the windscreen, important information is not withheld, because the computer has simply overlaid it with something else.

The projector is a translucent, independent of sunlight, TFT-display in the dasboard. Due to the shortage of space it cannot be mounted directly below the projector screen, instead the image is reflected by mirrors and a lens onto the windscreen so that the driver can perceive the, once again, mirrored image. Reflections are avoided by having a wedge shaped layer of plastic between the two parts of the screen.

Because we're not dealing with an actual projection, the driver doesn't see the image directly on the windscreen, it appears to be floating one or two meters further to the front. The brightness-control is of vital importance. That of the surroundings is measured by a sensor, e.g., mounted behind the rear-view mirror and the brightness is automatically adjusted. Considerable effort is required, to ensure that the head-up display is not too bright at night, and is also not invisible in bright surroundings.

Some manufacturers have saved themselves the expense of having an altered windscreen by projecting the image onto a retractable Perspex sheet. This system is quite expensive anyhow, but if the perception time is at least doubled, then, from the aspect of safety improvement, it is worthwhile. We don't really know, as far as the windscreen is concerned, what features will be possible in the future: action games for the kids, solar collectors, automatic sun blockers? 06/12

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