Apple is currently working on a holographic heads-up display (HUD) that can fit into a car and display various information on windows or other surfaces that drivers can see.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office recently approved Apple’s patent application that proposes the integration of a holographic HUD system in a land-based vehicle, such as the rumored Apple Car.
Apple developing a holographic heads-up display to surround car’s driver
On Tuesday, the US Patent Office approved Apple’s patent entitled “System with holographic head-up display,” which the Cupertino tech giant filed in February of 2019. Aircrafts usually use the HUD system, however, in recent times, other types of vehicles have begun using them. The one proposed by Apple in its patent application features a holographic HUD that can display information on windows and other surfaces that drivers can easily see it.
Conventional HUD systems use projected light to show data or information on a surface, usually at the front windshield of a vehicle. However, the tech company notes that fixed design parameters, coupled with the permanent angle of a front windshield, present makers with “undesirable restrictions,” forcing them to tailor-make their HUD systems based on the car’s front design.
“For example, a conventional head-up display may be incompatible with the side window of a vehicle because light reflected off of the side window from a display reasonably mounted within the structure of the vehicle does not reach the user’s eyes due to the law of reflection,” the patent stated.
The tech giant’s HUD system relies on a display output device together with optical combiners to form holographic elements. This holographic HUD system allows car drivers to see information displayed on side windows and other surfaces.
The patent also stated that the holographic element could either be switchable or non-switchable, which involves using permanently encoded holograms. Switchable holographic elements, on the other hand, involve the application of an electric field to the entire system.
Like other conventional HUD setups, the tech giant’s holographic HUD system gathers vehicle data, as well as information about its passengers and the surrounding environment using a collection of cameras, sensors, and many other sources. The system then presents the information on side windows, front windshield, and other surfaces through holographic elements.
via Patently Apple
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