On June 7th,2023, the Fourth Automobile HUD Frontier Technologies Forum was grandly held inSuzhou, China. HUD industry experts and enterprises gathered together toconduct in-depth discussions on the development and future of HUD technology.Hardstone was invited to deliver the speech "Clearer, Farer, Larger-LCOS Technology Has a Bright Future in AR-HUD”.
At the end of theconference, the Certificate Awarding Ceremony was grandly held. Hardstone wasawarded the Leading HUD Enterprise in China, which not only representsHardstone's cutting-edge technical strength in the HUD industry, but alsoinspires Hardstone to continuously step forward.
Hardstone wonthe award with HUAWEI, ADAYOand FUTURE
Hardstone is one of thepioneering enterprises to lay out HUD technology and products. As early as2015, Hardstone embarked on pre-research for HUD technology. As the firstChinese manufacturer to win the bidding of W-HUD project in oversea before-marketin 2017, Hardstone quickly achieved mass production for multiple W-HUD projectsin 2019, which took only two years. 2020 was a breakthrough year for Hardstone,who focused on domestic & overseas development to break through the"Market Barrier." Simultaneously, the optical R&D team expanded,providing crucial support for Hardstone in overcoming the "TechnologicalBarrier" of AR-HUD. Now Hardstone not only possesses the mainstream TFTand DLP technologies of AR-HUD, but has also successfully launched a newgeneration of LCoS AR-HUD with enhanced clarity, performance, and userexperience through powerful independent R＆Dstrength.
TheThird Generation LCoS AR-HUD from Hardstone
(1) Based on independent R＆D LCoS technology from Hardstone, this product supports a full-color display with ahigh light output of 140lm and an industry-leading center contrast ratio of 1500:1. ThePGU utilizes a full-glass optical system and an aluminum alloy mirror frame, witha projection ratio of 1.2. The PBS adopts right angle prism without bondingprocesses, and the linear arrangement of the three LED sources facilitatesradiators layout. Moreover, automotive-grade optical lenses ensure uniformlight distribution, achieving a brightness exceeding 15,000 nit and auniformity of over 90%.
(2) With high-precision maps and positioning, this product provides driverswith clear displays for navigation, reminders and warnings by integratingcurrent location, maps, and scene AI, achieving interconnection betweenvehicles, roads, and the environment. The UI design incorporates Hardstone'sproprietary AR algorithm, and integrates various elements through specialaesthetic processing, optimizing the entire interactive interface for anexceptional visual experience.
(3) Supported by optical design and mathematicalmodeling optimization, this product is equipped with high-precision curvedmirrors, achieving 13°x5° FOV,15m VID and 1920x1080 resolution in asmall volume of only 10L. Additionally, it utilizes professional analysismodels to simulate sunlight load and glare elimination, realizing performanceindicators and optical display effects that are currently leading in theindustry.
LCOS AR-HUD from Hardstone Has a Bright Future
Currently, the mainstream technologies for AR-HUD are TFT, DLP, and LCoS.TFT and DLP are relatively mature technologies, but TFT-HUD has limitations inachieving far-distance, wide-size, and high-definition virtual image displays,making it unable to better match the upgraded demands of AR-HUD. DLP-HUD, onthe other hand, faces challenges such as patent monopolies, cost, and supplyissues.
In comparison, LCoS-HUD holds significant promise. Asa new type of reflective microLCD projection technology, LCoS technology canachieve higher light utilization efficiency (over 40%) and higher resolution(up to 1920x1080) compared to TFT and DLP. It also excels in terms of size,brightness, and contrast ratio. Furthermore, this solution is free from patentmonopolies and offers controlled costs.
Hardstone stands out as one of the leadingenterprises possessing LCoS technology. With a well-established technicalsystem, Hardstone has formed a complete development cycle encompassing design,simulation, and verification. The development mode has progressed to the stageof visualizing design outcomes and supporting real-time effect simulations,thereby achieving remarkable development efficiency. With a highly skilled coreteam proficient in diverse fields such as optical design, optical testing,hardware and software development, AR fusion algorithms, and more, Hardstoneoffers robust support for the development, application, and superior iteration of AR-HUDtechnology.
In the future, supported by its strong technical strengthand driven by the pursuit of the best user experience, Hardstone will persistently explore the advancement and application of cutting-edgeHUD technology, aiming to deliver an enjoyable, high-tech and safe human-carinteraction experience.
