Forvia used the Vehicle Display and Interfaces conference to showcase a variety of automotive display solutions including rollable OLED, textured displays, HUD, and improvements in power efficiency of LCD displays.
John Phillips, Director of Product at Forvia, demonstrates several innovative automotive display and lighting technologies designed to balance high-end aesthetics with cost-efficiency.
Rollable OLED Display
Forvia showcases a flexible OLED screen currently used in Chinese Hongqi vehicles.
- Adjustable Size: The screen retracts or extends based on the driving mode.
- Dual Purpose: It provides a full view for movies during charging and a smaller view for navigation while driving.
- Quiet Mechanics: A brushless motor rolls the display into a drum hidden within the bezel.
Skyline & Seamless Displays
The “Skyline” demonstrator offers a wide-screen experience without the high cost of a single massive panel.
- Modular Design: It combines multiple small LCD units to create a widescreen effect.
- Optical Solutions: A specialized light-guide film and printed patterns hide the borders between units.
- Software Matching: Image processing ensures colors and brightness are consistent across all panels.
Immersive Interior Lighting
Forvia is responding to a growing demand for customizable, software-driven interior environments.
- Embedded LEDs: Low-resolution LED films are integrated into door panels and dashboards.
- Dynamic Utility: Lighting patterns can change based on safety alerts, music, or movie content.
- Software Control: Updates can be pushed “over-the-air” to change the cabin’s look and feel.
Air Vision & 3D Effects
The “Air Vision” demonstrator provides a unique take on heads-up displays (HUDs).
- Projection Tech: Displays project images onto glass treated with a specialized film.
- Layered Depth: Fabric properties and underlying lighting create an inverted pyramid 3D effect.
- Contextual Alerts: The system can project low-res icons, like a coffee cup, to signal driver fatigue.
Display Optimization & Efficiency
The presentation concludes with a comparison of different LCD backlighting technologies.
- Full Array Local Dimming (FALD): High-end displays offer superior contrast but generate more heat and cost more.
- Efficient FALD: A mid-tier option uses 75% fewer LEDs while maintaining high fidelity through software algorithms.
- Edge-Lit Displays: These “off-the-shelf” units are pre-certified and cost-effective for mass-market OEMs.
- Heat Management: Forvia prioritizes cooling, as heat is a major “killer” of automotive electronics.
