Driver to Car Communication – IDTechEx Explores Heads-Up Displays

Heads-up displays (HUDs) allow vehicles to communicate with the driver by clearly presenting messages and instructions for safety and driver awareness. IDTechEx’s report, Heads-up Displays 2024-2034: Technologies, Players, Opportunities , explores the origins of the technology sector, as well as requirements and materials used for the best quality performance.

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Benefits and requirements of HUDs?

Communication between passengers and the vehicle is clearer with HUDs, which can make for a safer journey, with information available in 1.0 second rather than 1.8 when referring to head-down displays behind the wheel. Customization is also a highly desirable feature for drivers when choosing how they interact with their vehicle. Huds can allow for a selection of which information is displayed and potentially act as a selling point for vehicles offering this technology. Some information, including vehicle status, is always available on display, while infotainment information becomes available as needed.?

High luminance of over 10,000 units, an operating temperature between -40 ~ 85 degrees Celsius, and an operating lifetime of more than 10,000 hours without degradation are among the main requirements for HUD technologies. Information given by the displays needs to be sparse, have high transparency, and be placed in an optimum position, such as in the driver’s line of sight as outlined in IDTechEx’s report, so as not to obstruct the driver’s view while still being clear enough to draw attention. High scalability needs to be achievable for HUD technology, which will also include the need for cost-effectiveness and low power consumption to make them a good fit for different kinds of vehicles.?

HUDs are known to be expensive to make and employ, and while they are becoming mainstream for some car manufacturers, they remain limited in use for others. Using the windshield glass as a display screen, small images associated with direction and speed only have a focal distance of a few meters, and don’t yet create an immersive or necessarily aesthetic experience which may be desired in high-end vehicles in the future.

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HUDs origins and the future of evolving displays?

Pilots in fighter planes are described in IDTechEx’s report to be amongst the first to experience the long since evolved technology of HUDs. They enabled messages and information such as altitude and speed to reach their eyeline while flying, without the need to dip their heads. The technology then entered the automotive sector in the late 80s where it has been developing ever since.?

The future could see augmented reality (AR) features combined with HUD to display text and graphics at varying focal distances. It could be compatible with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) to enhance the safety and autonomy of vehicles, though these developments are predicted to be expensive and are not yet mature.?

IDTechEx’s report outlines the readiness levels of various technologies used for heads-up displays, as well as the benefits and barriers to their use. Larger displays and better resolution are amongst the focuses of developments going forward, alongside high luminance and low limitation on virtual image distance, with images being able to be aligned with the real world.?

For more information on this new IDTechEx report, including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/AutoHUD .? Please also see the Photonics technology portfolio and Robotics & Autonomy? portfolio for further research.