Introduction to automotive

augmented reality
head-up displays using
TI DLP technology
®

Mike Firth
Automotive marketing manager, DLP Products
Texas Instruments
Augmented reality (AR) head-up displays (HUDs)
are the next evolution toward creating a better
driving experience.
Based on real-time sensor data, key information such as advanced driver assistance system
(ADAS) alerts and navigational cues are projected into the driver’s field of view, interacting
with and marking real world objects. Unlike traditional HUDs, graphics are projected further
out, appearing as natural extensions of the driver’s field of view. By placing graphics directly
in the driver’s line of sight that interact with and augment real world objects, AR HUDs can
significantly improve driver situational awareness.

Traditional versus AR HUDs static and do not interact with the real world as
seen from the driver’s point of view. Examples of
Today’s automotive HUDs have small displays with
secondary information displayed on today’s HUDs
basic graphic functionality. The projected HUD
include the speedometer and navigational symbols,
graphics are typically located 2-3 m in front of the
which also appear on the cluster and center stack of
driver, which places the image near the car’s front
the vehicle.
bumper. This location is referred to as the virtual
image distance (VID). A horizontal and vertical field There are several limitations with today’s HUDs.
of view (FOV) specified in degrees defines the display Their small FOV limits the way information can be
displayed and how much of the real world the HUD
symbols can interact with. The short VIDs do not
support overlaying graphics onto real-world objects
due to the way the human eye perceives distance.
Additionally, today’s HUDs do not take advantage
of vehicle sensor data to create real-time human
machine interfaces (HMIs) that interact with the
driver’s FOV.

Benefits of AR HUDs
Figure 1. FOV and VID in a HUD Instead of showing secondary static information,
AR HUDs can display graphics that interact with the
driver’s FOV, overlaying critical information directly
size. The eyebox of the HUD is the area in which
onto the real world. This, of course, requires the
the driver is able to view the entire display, and can
integration of a vast amount of real-time vehicle
be limited in today’s HUDs. An example showing
sensor data, which is no easy task. But think for a
the eyebox in relation to the virtual image is shown
moment about how this type of display will change
in Figure 1. Today’s HUDs provide a secondary
the driver’s experience.
display for information that is already available in
other areas of the vehicle. The graphics are mostly

Introduction to automotive augmented reality head-up 2 May 2019

displays using DLP® technology
Figure 2. Future (AR) HUDs will allow for a FOV of 10 degrees or more and overlay graphics directly onto the real world

Today, ADAS alerts are primarily indicated via a True augmented real functionality
blinking symbol or an audible alarm. But an AR Requires VID > 7m and FOV>10°
HUD can identify threats by directly marking them
within the driver’s FOV. AR graphics are overlaid
onto real world objects in such a way that the
driver can immediately recognize the threat and
quickly take appropriate action, such as braking
for a road obstacle. Presenting ADAS alerts in this
manner could significantly increase driver situational
awareness, especially when driving at night or in low
visibility conditions.

One of the central requirements for an AR HUD is Figure 3. AR HUDs have a VID of up to 20 m, while traditional
the ability to project images at least 7 m in front of HUDs have a much shorter VID
the driver, with 10 to 20 m preferable. Projecting
Figures 2 and 3 illustrate these FOV and VID
images at this distance creates the illusion that the
differences between traditional (past and present)
images are fused with the real world; the images
HUDs and AR (future) HUDs. Notice how in the AR
look like a natural extension of the object being
HUD display, the HUD graphics interact with the real
highlighted. The human vision system has several
world and directly identify the obstacle, whereas
ways in which it perceives distance or depth, but
in the other displays, the displayed images look
at 7 m or further, the ability to distinguish depth
stationary, floating out ahead of the driver.
from the other real-world objects diminishes greatly.
Creating images that fuse with the real world is only Graphics alignment and lumen budget
one advantage of a longer VID. The other advantage One key challenge in AR HUD design is the
is the reduction in eye accommodation time, which processing and displaying of graphics based on
becomes more significant with age. the vehicle’s sensor data, commonly referred to as
Projecting the images further out greatly reduces the sensor fusion. Integrating real-time vehicle sensor
accommodation time for the eyes to adjust between data and the HUD HMI software to accurately
the real world and the HUD images. In a non-AR overlay symbols on a rapidly changing environment
HUD, with the graphics projected 2 m to 3 m away presents a significant design challenge. In a non-AR
from the driver, there is an accommodation delay HUD, alignment with the real world is not a concern,
when changing focus between the graphics and the as the information displayed is not interacting with
real world. When displaying ADAS information on an or augmenting real world objects.
AR HUD with a long VID, the driver can more quickly
react to the threat and take the appropriate action.

Introduction to automotive augmented reality head-up 3 May 2019

displays using DLP® technology
A good example of the alignment challenge is how height (2x the area) of a non-AR HUD requires 8x
different eyebox position affects graphic alignment. more lumens. The lumen budget considerations are
Accommodating differing driver heights requires shown in Figure 6.
adjusting the eyebox height by using a small motor The greater the number of lumens, the greater the
to tilt one of the HUD mirrors up or down. However, power consumption and the more challenging the
tilting the mirror also tilts the optical axis of the HUD, thermal design becomes. This drives the need for
causing the virtual image to lose graphical alignment an efficient imaging technology. DLP technology
with the real world, as shown in Figure 4. is very efficient compared to other competing
technologies, with most DLP technology systems
achieving efficiencies of >25% (measured in the light
in from LEDs to the light out of the DLP projector).
The high efficiency of DLP technology significantly
reduces thermal design challenges and provides
enough lumens to support larger AR FOVs
Figure 4. In an AR HUD, adjusting the eyebox height loses and eyeboxes.
graphic alignment for Driver B
Solar load
There are a couple of ways to correct this Another design challenge found in AR HUDs is
misalignment: one is to apply more graphics managing solar load, or solar irradiance. AR HUDs
processing combined with a driver monitoring have larger FOVs and associated “openings” that let
system to compensate for the change in alignment. in more solar irradiance than traditional HUDs. This,
The other is to design a larger eyebox so the HUD’s coupled with the longer VIDs and associated higher
optical axis does not need to be adjusted and magnification, creates significant thermal design
graphical alignment is maintained, as shown in challenges. Today’s non-AR HUDs have optical
Figure 5. Often, a combination of the two designs with a magnification around 5x, whereas AR
approaches is used to support differing HUDs have magnification on the order of 25x to 30x.
driver heights.
A simple analogy of the negative effects of solar
load is what happens when sunlight is focused
onto a small spot using a magnifying glass. The
solar energy concentrates to a very small unit
area, significantly increasing the solar load on
that area. Depending on the surface’s absorption
characteristics, the temperature can rise quite high,
Figure 5. A larger eyebox supports both Driver A and Driver B
resulting in thermal damage.

A DLP technology-based system focuses the solar

The larger eyebox is an elegant solution, but comes
load onto a transparent diffuser screen, which
at the expense of increased lumens. The lumens
transmits and diffuses the majority of the sun’s
required to support a HUD design are directly
energy, resulting in limited heating of the diffuser
proportional to the FOV and eyebox area. If the
panel and digital micromirror device (DMD). Thin-
eyebox or the FOV area doubles, then the required
film transistor (TFT)-based systems focus the solar
lumens also double. For example, an AR HUD with
load onto a black TFT panel, where almost all of
double the FOV (4x the area) and double the eyebox

Introduction to automotive augmented reality head-up 4 May 2019

displays using DLP® technology
Figure 6. As the FOV and eyebox increase, more light is required

the energy is absorbed onto a very small spot,

resulting in potential thermal damage. Figures 7
and 8 illustrate solar load in HUDs using TFT panels
compared with those using DLP technology.
Figure 9 shows a DLP Auto picture generation unit
(PGU) with diffuser screen. Figure 8. The longer the VID, the more concentrated the solar load

Constant performance over

temperature
Aesthetically, producing a consistent high-
quality image over temperature and varying
driving conditions is important, but it becomes a
requirement when displaying driver-critical ADAS
information. An AR HUD needs to produce
consistent brightness, color, latency and contrast
independent of temperature and driving due to
the importance of the ADAS information being
Figure 7. Comparison of a TFT-based HUD vs. a DLP displayed. Derating of the image quality is simply
technology-based HUD
not an option.

Figure 9. A DLP Auto PGU with diffuser screen

Introduction to automotive augmented reality head-up 5 May 2019

displays using DLP® technology
The DMD creates the HUD images by rapidly over temperature. The dashed blue line represents
switching thousands to millions of highly reflective the lumens needed to support a 10-by-4 degree
aluminum micromirrors on and off. Figure 10 shows FOV with a 150-by-130-mm eyebox at a brightness
an example array of DMD micromirrors. The physical level of 12.5k cd/m2.
characteristics and switching performance of the Polarization
micromirrors do not derate over temperature. For
Polarized sunglasses reduce glare while driving,
example the micromirrors switch just as fast at -40 °C
but they can block the HUD image in some imaging
as they do at 105 °C. The constant performance
technologies. Figure 12 shows the effect polarized
of the DMD ensures constant image brightness,
glasses can have on a TFT HUD image. This is
frame rate, contrast, latency, and color over
particularly a problem for an AR HUD, where critical
operating temperature.
ADAS information is displayed.

DLP technology, however, does not rely on polarized

light; HUD images are visible to the driver even
when wearing polarized sunglasses. The LED
light reflected off the DMD micromirrors consist
of approximately 50% P-polarized light and 50%
S-polarized light; it’s the P-polarized light that’s
needed when wearing polarized sunglasses.

But it turns out that the windscreen angle has a

Figure 10. Example of a DMD micromirror array lot to do with how much P-polarized light reaches
the driver’s eyebox. The closer the windscreen
Unfortunately LEDs do derate over temperature angle is to Brewster’s angle, the less P-polarized
losing brightness as the temperature increases. light is reflected. Depending on brightness targets
To support constant brightness, the system must be a film may need to be added to the windscreen
designed to support the maximum target brightness to improve the reflection of the P-polarized light.
at maximum temperature and then the maximum The advantage of DLP technology is that in many
brightness reduced at the lower temperatures. cases, a film is not needed and in the cases that
The challenge in an AR HUD is that the lumen it is required, brightness is higher than competing
budget is already significantly higher due to the technologies.
larger FOV and eyebox, and adding support for
constant brightness over temperature further
increases that budget. It is therefore critical
to choose an efficient light source and imaging
technology that can support the required lumen
budget at minimal power consumption.

Figure 11 shows the lumen output over

temperature and associated power consumption
of the LED illumination subsystem. As long as
worst-case maximum temperature brightness can
Figure 11. PGU brightness as a function of temperature, DMD
be supported, the PGU optical power output can be
duty cycle and LED current
adjusted via software to support a constant brightness
Introduction to automotive augmented reality head-up 6 May 2019
displays using DLP® technology
Figure 12 . While polarized sunglasses reduce glare, they can also unfortunately filter out TFT-created HUD images

With DLP technology, you don’t need to sacrifice HMI design freedom, as well as enabling designs
overall brightness in order to see the images when that support quicker reaction times.
wearing polarized sunglasses, and the image is still
Diagnostics and system monitoring
visible, as shown in Figure 13.
Another important design consideration is
Color saturation
diagnostics and system monitoring. AR HUDs have
Delivering a bright, vivid, highly saturated image larger displays that are positioned higher up on
ensures that the HUD graphics are optimally visible the windscreen compared to traditional HUDs. If
under all driving conditions. This is particularly the image were to malfunction, it could potentially
important for the color red, which is used block the driver’s FOV. Two primary failure modes
extensively in ADAS as a warning color. It has been that need to be detected are a corrupted image
shown that reaction times are significantly lowered and a whiteout/full-on image. If either one of
with increased color saturation. For example, these events were to occur, the system needs to
be able to quickly shut the display off. The more
diagnostics and system monitoring support that the
imager technology provides, the easier it can be to
support functional safety goals. For example, the
DLP5530-Q1 chipset has extensive diagnostics,
built-in self-test, checksums, cyclic redundancy
checks and watch dog timers that can help assist
customers in meeting their functional safety goals.
Figure 13. When using DLP technology, polarized sunglasses The overarching idea here is that the HUD image
have no effect on HUD images

reaction times have been lowered by more than

100ms when increasing saturation levels in red. [1]

Highly saturated colors have also been shown to

look sharper and brighter than less saturated colors
due to the Helmholtz–Kohlrausch effect [2]. With
RGB LEDs, DLP technology supports a 125%
National Television System Committee color gamut.
Figure 14 shows DLP technology color gamut for
both LED and laser illumination light sources.

Designing with a wide color gamut of highly Figure 14. HUD laser vs LED color gamuts when using
saturated colors to choose from provides significant DLP technology
Introduction to automotive augmented reality head-up 7 May 2019
displays using DLP® technology
 should never interfere with the driver’s view, which
would result in the interference of the operation of
the vehicle.

Figure 16. Waveguide based AR HUD

reduced. With a holographic film, a small projector is

installed in the dash and a holographic film inserted into
the windscreen interlayer. Figure 16 shows an AR HUD
Figure 15. Traditional optics based HUD with large
based on a waveguide and Figure 17 shows an AR
aspheric mirror
HUD based on a holographic film. Both waveguides

HUD size considerations and future

trends
Using traditional mirror-based optics, an AR HUD can
easily reach 15 to 20 liters. The FOV a HUD supports
is directly proportional to the size of its free-form
aspherical mirror. If you want a HUD with a large
FOV, you have to use a large aspherical mirror which
results in a larger HUD. Figure 15 shows a HUD
based on traditional optics.

Trying to carve out 15 to 20 liters in the dash of a

car – competing with cross beams; wiring; heating,
ventilation and air conditioning; cluster electronics; Figure 17. Holographic film based AR HUD
and the steering column – is no easy task. Even AR
HUDs with smaller eyeboxes, around 10 liters, present and holographic films have their challenges, but the
a significant challenge. To address this challenge, automotive industry is investing significant capital
automotive manufacturers are looking at technologies into these next-generation technologies in order to
such as waveguides and holographic films. increase the adoption rate of AR HUDs. These new

Both waveguide and holographic film technologies technologies not only shrink HUD size, but also enable

promise to significantly shrink the package volume of much bigger FOVs, supporting HUDs with 15-by-5-

an AR HUD, making it easier to fit into the vehicle’s degree FOVs or larger.

dash. Both use holographic elements to replace DLP technology works with both laser and traditional
traditional mirrors. Waveguides can be installed in the LEDs, and because waveguides and holographic
vehicle’s dash like traditional HUDs, but the height films will likely use laser-based light sources, DLP
and overall package volume have been significantly technology can support both technologies.

Introduction to automotive augmented reality head-up 8 May 2019

displays using DLP® technology
 Automotive original equipment manufacturers are technology such as DLP technology can help solve
beginning to link AR HUDs with autonomous driving many current AR HUD design challenges, including:
and electric cars. With an electric car, you have more • Supporting the increased brightness
space for the HUD, as you no longer have a firewall requirements for a large FOV and large eyebox.
and combustion engine. Electric vehicles may also
• Supporting the increased solar load due
require a new body design, so space for the HUD
to the longer VID.
can be reserved early in the design process. Electric
cars are also typically equipped with the ADAS • Delivering constant image performance
infrastructure required to support AR. over temperature.

When in autonomous driving mode, an AR HUD can • Keeping images viewable when wearing
provide reassurance to the driver that the vehicle polarized sunglasses.
is aware of its surroundings, is in control, and able • Delivering bright, vivid, highly saturated colors.
to take appropriate actions when needed. The AR
1 B.M. O’Donell, E. Colombo, and V. Zimmerman,
HUD is also important in supporting the transition
“Chromatic Saturation on Simple Reaction Time”
from autonomous driving mode to driver control.
Depending on the situation, this transition may need 2 Helmholtz–Kohlrausch effect on Wikipedia

to occur quickly – with drivers being forced to stop Related resources

what they are doing, and immediately take control of • Learn more about automotive HUDs using DLP
the vehicle. The AR HUD can aid in this transition by technology.
enabling drivers to quickly assess the driving situation
• Start your design today with the DLP5530-Q1
and take appropriate action.
• Download the AR HUD lumen budget estimation
Conclusion
calculator.
While non-AR HUD systems provide many benefits
and have considerably improved driver situational
awareness, they still have significant limitations.
By increasing the FOV and VID and integrating the
vehicle’s sensor data to overlay graphics in real time
onto real-world objects, AR HUDs will completely
change the driving experience and further enhance
driver situational awareness and reaction times.

AR HUDs present different and significantly more

challenging design problems than today’s non-AR
HUDs. The use of a high-performance imaging

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