HUD informs drivers of their speed, the speed limit, next turn and more — without forcing them to move their eyes off the road.
Any fan of Iron Man knows the power of an effective head-up display (HUD). But you don’t need to be fighting Thanos to benefit from a HUD.
In fact, HUDs can become a significant enabler of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) in the automotive industry.
An effective HUD can inform a driver without forcing them to move their eyes off the road. It can show:
- Car speed.
- The road’s speed limit.
- The next turn.
- Traffic.
- Lane suggestions.
For engineers, the challenge is to design a display that doesn’t force the driver to change focus. As a result, the information must remain legible under all road conditions. Simulation can help engineers design HUDs for any condition.
Simulation Optimizes a HUD’s Housing for a Crisp Image
HUDs can become large. The larger they are the more light can sneak in and affect the perceived quality of the image.
Engineers achieve an optimal projected distance for the display by mounting a considerably large device on the dashboard.
The problem is that the larger the device, the greater the unwanted light that manages to creep into the optics.
This unwanted light tends to scatter and cause light artifacts that render the HUD image fuzzy. This fuzzy image could affect the perceived quality of the HUD device.
To address this issue, HUD housings, glare shields and light traps are used to reject these stray beams of light. Optimizing these stray light rejection methods using trial-and-error would likely become too costly. ANSYS SPEOS software can be used to assess these traps and shields during early product development.
HUD housing comparison using classic black plastic (left) and ultrablack coating (right).
As an example, simulation results show that using a classic black plastic housing could still create a fuzzy HUD image.
However, simulation shows that using an ultrablack coating creates a much crisper image.
There are many other factors that can affect the image of a HUD. To learn more, read ANSYS SPEOS Capabilities: HUD and Analysis.
Or, watch the webinar Take the lead on the HUD revolution: windshield as a key optical during its Sept. 27, 10 a.m. (CEST) or 5 p.m. (CEST) timeslot.
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