Continental Brings 3D Display on the Road

Posted By: Tires & Parts Newson: Monday, March 30, 2020In: Parts

Continental has announced that it is launching its volume-production display featuring autostereoscopic 3D technology. The 3D display will be seen in the market in the HMC Genesis GV80 high-line variant. On the screen of the display, the technology used will mean that the displays will indicate three-dimensional scales, pointers and objects like those for a stop sign that is within the driver’s line of sight. There will be no need to use special glasses to see the three-dimensional warning signal. Instead of glasses, parallax barriers or slanted slats are used to divide the image for the viewer. When such slats are used the viewer sees two different, slightly offset views which reach the right and left eye, resulting in the formation of a three-dimensional image.

The interior camera used as part of the technology plays a key role as it detects the driver’s line of sight and accordingly adjusts the 3D views to their precise head position. To keep motorists from looking at the 3D display for too long, the camera uses attention detection to identify any cases of driver fatigue or distraction. The 3D visualization of the instrument cluster ensures that the driver does not suffer from sensory overload in terms of information that is provided from multiple sources like advanced driver assistance systems, conventional displays, communication services and infotainment applications.

Dr. Frank Rabe, head of the Human Machine Interface business unit at Continental said that with the firm’s volume-production display featuring autostereoscopic 3D technology, the plan was to raise human-machine interaction to a whole new level and thus lay the foundation for intuitive communication in the connected cockpit of the future. The Continental team ensured that this progress made in terms of safety and comfort did not mean any compromise with regard to a lean electronics architecture and integrated various displays in the center console or dashboard into the display’s Cross Domain Hub.”

Cross Domain Hub Removes Boundaries Between Individual Screens and Control Units
In the event that all goes as planned, in order to reduce the space used and weight as well as to reduce complexity, only a small number of control units will be required for all the in-vehicle input and output devices. The Cross Domain Hub takes on the role of a high performance computer and serves as the core of Continental’s 3D display which is used in the HMC Genesis. It marks a significant advance in modern E/E architecture and is part of the transition from usage of numerous individual control units to a few high performance computers. In the next generation of Continental’s cross-domain solution, all displays are integrated into a single unit. The motorists will be able to distribute content across multiple displays, by using techniques like gesture control.

When the vehicle is in automated driving mode, the displays will merge across the entire width of the cockpit so that all passengers can see the services and apps that are otherwise only available on the front passenger’s side.

Lightfield Display: In-car 3D Movies for Everyone
Currently, Continental is developing a new 3D display based on the natural 3D Lightfield Technology from Silicon Valley based Leia Inc. to ensure that the front passenger and occupants in the rear seats can also enjoy the three-dimensional experience. Further development of this technology will eliminate the need for cameras detecting head movement and 3D glasses. As a result, the Natural 3D Display not only saves weight, space and costs, but also opens up an entire world of digital services to all the passengers in a connected car. These digital services can range from video conferences and online shopping to augmented reality games and 3D movies. Instead of the parallax barriers used in the current system, this system would use Diffractive Lightfield Backlighting (DLB™) technology from Leia. An optical waveguide with diffraction grating and nanostructures beneath the display panel would create a natural 3D effect by bending the light. Continental is working on adapting this technology for use in vehicles and the system is slated for production by 2022.