Tire manufacturer and international automotive supplier Continental has launched its augmented reality head-up display system (AR-HUD). The system supplements the exterior view of the traffic conditions in front of the vehicle with virtual information for the driver, with production planned for 2017.

The AR-HUD provides drivers with better quality of information. The augmentation connects what the driver’s eyes see with explanatory information, and is an important step in the direction of holistic human machine interfaces in cars for a more comfortable, more economic, and safer driving experience – combating driver distraction and sensory overload.

The AR-HUD system not only supports the driver if the vehicle is in danger of unintentionally drifting out of a lane, but also supports the use of Adaptive Cruise Control. In addition, drivers are able to know at which point they should turn, without having to look back and forth between the navigation screen and the road.

With the AR-HUD system, the reflected information appears exactly where the information becomes a part of the driving situation. When navigating, a virtual symbol inserted precisely into the exterior view shows the driver the way of the curve in front of the vehicle. When Adaptive Cruise Control is enabled, a marking in the AR-HUD visualizes which vehicle in front is detected by the assistance system.

The AR-HUD inserts full-color graphics into the real road view in a section of the driver’s field of vision, approximately 130 centimeters wide by 60 centimeters high, and at a distance of 7.5 meters. The basis for this is provided by camera and radar data from the vehicle sensors – taking into account the vehicle dynamics data, digital map data, and GPS positioning.

With the AR-HUD, Continental is continuing a development path that began in 2003 when the company started the production of the first color HUD in a passenger car. Continental will bring this projection technology into series production as early as 2016.