Automotive instrument clusters go digital, 3D
Iconmobile designed this instrument concept for Nvidia's automotive chip.
(Credit: Iconmobile)Forget analog gauges; the instrument cluster of the future will be a 3D dynamic display configurable by the user. Computer graphics company Nvidia is has developed a chip designed specifically for the automotive market. This chip holds system software and graphics processing capabilities to show 3D instruments on an LCD. Partner Iconmobile, which did earlier work on Audi's A1 concept car, designed an interface for the chip that combines car information with navigation and entertainment. The Iconmobile interface serves as a demonstration and is not slated for a production car.
With the Fusion Hybrid, Ford is showing off the flexibility of a digital instrument cluster. NVidia's chip would bring 3D to the equation, potentially allowing for more useful navigation guidance or information structures.
Digital instrument clusters could save automakers money by letting them use a common hardware platform across models, and programming a different look and feel into the instruments to distinguish cars. Likewise, drivers could reconfigure the instrument cluster by personal preference or for different driving conditions. For example, a larger tachometer could used for sport driving, then minimized for the daily commute.
You realize digital speedometers have been in use for 2 decades right? I drove a Ford Probe with a digital dash for almost eight years (and 145k miles) with absolutely no issues and this was in the late 80's and 90's.
You also realize that most car information systems (speed, oil pressure, engine temp, etc.) are strictly electrical and driven by computers in just about any car manufactured in the last 20 years?
This is tried and true, and very much road proven technology.
So if the computer goes nuts, has bugs, or something in your modern automobile, the instrument cluster is likely to be the LEAST of your worries.
and that sample display? has LESS information than the instrument cluster in my VW which combines analog gauges and a center LCD.
as for "what if the computer goes nuts" arguments. many modern instrument clusters are all electronic. they have mechanical dials, but those dials are not linked to the drivetrain. they are controlled by a computer which translates inputs from the engine and fuel management system to the display.
I mean the largest piece of information on the screen is the freaking music data?!...with Cover Art?!...and a dang visualizer?! This is for a car...right?
Most cars have speedometers who's circumference goes from 0 to 140mph so that the crucial 0-70 range where you drive 99.5% of the time uses only about 40% of the display and thus you have to spend way too much time looking at it instead of the road to know what exact speed you are going. The one thing I miss that I had on my 98 Boxster was the digital speedometer in the middle of the analog (which was like 0 - 180 and worthless in terms of quickly figuring out your current speed).
Next, for the sake of 'style' they'll license a Movado look and just have one dot at the top to represent 75mph or something.
-outside temperature
-my current gear selection
-my RPMs
-the sound level on my radio
-the date
-the battery level
Things I do need:
-my current speed
-my current fuel level
Things that I want, but don't need, but want way more than the other things:
-the current song
-the time of day
-my distance from intended destination
The HUD needs to be simple, uncluttered, easily parsed. A digital dash makes it suspectible to any electronic malady.
All cars should have the following:
Speedometer
Tachometer
Coolant Temp
Gas
Everything else is optional, but those 4 should be requirements.
...and as far as computer faults with your gauges go, my 85 Vette's all digital gauges still work 100% fine. If it could be mastered 24 years ago, whats the issue now?
"A manual is that strange stick like thing that sticks out of the center console, you actually have to move it around to get in and out of gear."
Well well well, Johnny Egos. Sounds like you die-hard standard drivers need to have a 6" stick in your right hand at all times. 8;;:::::D
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by illegallydead
May 24, 2009 9:08 AM PDT
- OK, allow me to be the first to say this... THIS BETTER BE A TECHNOLOGY OTHER THAN backlit LCD!!!
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(23 Comments)Having an LCD Navigation system in my car, I know that they can be HORRIBLY distracting at times while driving at night. Having an entire instrument cluster which is much more so in your field of vision than a stereo-located GPS area which is one big LCD screen is downright STUPID and terribly distracting
That being said, perhaps some technology like OLED? Does that emit any light when displaying blacks, etc? One way or another, this cluster needs to still present the information without bombarding the driver with unnecessary backlight.
Additionally, I have a strong feeling that the actual, final clusters will be thousands of times classier than the crap Cnet posted with this story. That skin looks good for WinAmp, HORRIBLE for a car. Drivers who have their priorities straight will want a high-contrast theme, i.e. black on light, and perhaps a DIGITal display of the speed would, IMO, do much better than a digital representation of an analog dial driven by a digital signal created by analog motion :/ lol
I would gladly accept something like this in a car I own a few cars from now. At this point, I cannot afford something this fancy, and will gladly drive my still somewhat-mechanical '01 Exploder until it, well, explodes :D