Features are something that every Indian search for when purchasing a new automobile. Given that it is 2020, we have numerous new features that have simplified and improved our driving experience. The Heads Up Display, or HUD, is a contemporary innovation that has made its way into the Indian automotive industry. In today’s feature, we take a look at an automotive technology that is now known to many Indians. Thanks to Kia Seltos and its incredible sales figures. Let’s look at how this automotive technology works and why you should have it!
What exactly is a Heads Up Display?
HUD is a transparent display put on the dashboard of a car that shows critical information and data without diverting the driver’s attention away from their normal viewing position. The name of this cutting-edge automotive technology comes from the position it permits the driver to be in. It means that the driver may be in a straight heads-up posture and yet view all of the important information they need to see while driving the automobile. You can see everything on the HUD, including the car’s speed and navigation. Originally intended for military aviation, they have increasingly transitioned to vehicles and other automotive applications.
While the automobile industry recognized the benefits of HUD technology, it wasn’t until the late 1980s that the system was used in a vehicle. The limited Indy pace car version of the Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible became the first automobile to incorporate a HUD, with a rather modest reading of the speedometer and indicators, in 1988.
The reception to this feature was exceedingly good, leading to Oldsmobile eventually providing it as an option throughout the Cutlass line and other GM automobiles such as the Chevrolet Corvette. However, Nissan was the first mass-market automaker to provide HUD as standard equipment in 1989, with the 240SX.
Composition and Assembly of a Heads-Up Display
A Heads Up Display is often an optical collimator arrangement comprised of a convex lens or concave mirror with a cathode ray tube, light-emitting diode display, or liquid crystal display at its focus. This configuration produces a picture by collimating the light beams. Confused? Continue reading! A collimated ray is one in which the light rays are parallel and do not diverge with distance. If the rays are not adequately collimated, they will diverge before reaching the source.
To get to the meat of the matter, the combiner is an angled flat sheet of glass in front of the viewer. This glass redirects the projected picture to see both the field of view and the projected infinity image.
What is the purpose of a HUD display?
You have several personalization choices to select from regarding what you want to see in the HUD. It primarily shows speed and navigation information, but it does so without requiring you to glance down or into the center console while driving. You may customize how the HUD appears while using the infotainment system, and you may change the size and color of the various information presented on the HUD.
Also Read, Predictive Touchscreens: All about you Need to Know
Can a Heads Up Display be retrofitted?
Without a doubt. If you think that only Seltos owners have the convenience of the HUD at a low price, you are mistaken. You may easily purchase a HUD from any online purchasing store. Typically, these devices link to your automobile via the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) connector and show crucial information the same way any other HUD would. Typically, an aftermarket HUD will cost less than Rs10,000.
Heads up Display Varieties (HUD)
There are now two types of HUD systems available in the automotive industry: projection-based and reflection-based. The former uses LED lights or, more recently, lasers to project information like speed, turn-by-turn navigation, a rev counter, and real-time fuel usage on a specially prepared portion of the windscreen. The final image is exceptionally clear in this setting, with little to no light leakage happening in darker driving circumstances. However, this approach is more expensive and difficult to implement.
On the other hand, reflection-based HUD systems employ a digital display to provide the needed information (using positive and negative spaces) reflected on a specially built glass screen. Compared to the projection-based system, this technology is less crisp and has a more light leak when utilized in dim lighting.
However, the substantially lower price tag and the fact that it can be utilized as a plug-and-play solution in most automobiles without any calibration work in its favor. Because of the basic concept on which it operates, this sort of HUD has become the most popular option of after-market HUD accessories. Some employ a smartphone and an app to produce the reflection.
The Benefits of Having a Heads Up Display
- It allows you to avoid rotating your head in different directions to pursue different information. Whether speed or navigation, you’ll find everything on the HUD.
- When you pull your gaze away from the HUD, your eyes refocus faster on the road.
- You get all of the information you need while driving in one spot, so your phone or those fancy dials in the MID don’t distract you from the road.
- Driver tiredness is significantly reduced since they do not have to strive to find information inside the car and can instead focus on the road.
The disadvantages of using a Heads Up Display
- More progress is necessary. Every vehicle cannot have HUD since they lack the necessary controls, making it difficult to integrate the technology.
- It drastically raises the price of automobiles. If the company decides to make it a regular feature, it will have to invest money.
- Rather than being a convenience, it can be a distraction for some. Some drivers choose not to utilize the HUD because they believe it distracts them rather than provides them with essential information.
It was all about the HUD, or Heads-Up Display. What do you think of the new technology introduced by Kia Seltos in the inexpensive segment? Do you own a Seltos? Don’t forget to share your opinions on this new technology in your vehicle in the comments below. Do you have any reservations about the HUD? You already know where to go!
What Should You Look for in a Head-Up Display?
There are various variables to consider if you are actively looking for a HUD, whether built-in, an app, or aftermarket.
Price
You get what you pay for with a HUD, as with most things. HUD smartphone applications are a low-cost solution to get basic functionalities, but they usually lack many of the features you’re looking for. To have a built-in HUD in your future vehicle, you may need to buy more vehicles than you desire or a package with unnecessary choices.
If you want more than basic functionality but don’t want to pay for a more expensive automobile simply for the HUD, the aftermarket third-party method is your only option. Shop around for the features you desire in a HUD.
Screen Dimensions
Although some vehicles have built-in HUD screens as large as 10 inches, such as the Toyota Camry, you may get away with less. Screen sizes typically range from 5 to 6 inches.
A HUD app will project a display about the size of your smartphone’s screen. Aftermarket HUDs exist in various sizes, with 5 inches being the most common.
A 3-inch display will be enough if all you want to see is your current speed.
What features do you wish to be displayed?
That is the question you must respond to. The price corresponds to the features, and the more features there are, the more expensive they are. When you purchase a built-in HUD, you get what you pay for. Several of these in-car systems let you select which functions to display at any given moment from a menu that may include:
The information presented by HUD applications is typically more restricted. The features of aftermarket HUD systems vary, although they can be almost as comprehensive as built-in systems.
- Vehicle speed
- The speed limit on each road you drive on
- Engine speed
- Navigation information
- Infotainment information
- Turn signal engagement
- Battery charge
- Safety system alerts like blind-spot monitoring
- Car system warning lights
The information presented by HUD applications is typically more restricted. The features of aftermarket HUD systems vary, although they can be almost as comprehensive as built-in systems.
Also Read, 360 Degree Camera: Is it Good for you?
Installation
The installation of a head-up display will have little impact. The manufacturing incorporates in-car versions, HUD applications, and third-party aftermarket HUDs just sitting on the dashboard. All that is left is to power these systems. Power is supplied by a battery, a 12-volt power supply, or your vehicle’s OBD2 connector.
Ease
There will be a learning curve in mastering any form of head-up display, as there is with any technology. The more options a device has, the more difficult it will be to set up.
All but the simplest units will need some programming. However, there is nothing further to do once everything is in place.
When using a HUD app or a third-party device, you must choose the best placement on your vehicle’s dashboard for your phone or the unit to optimize the field of vision. Otherwise, there isn’t much to it.
