Garmin to manufacture a HUD for cars/trucks

As an iPhone ap, no reason why it would be objected to since it'd be a temp install. Aren't there HUDs for experimentals now?

Of course, in the auto world it's touted as for high-end only, but it's been available in cars for a long time. It just hasn't made its way down to normal level cars with any regularity because it's a toy with minimal use for cars. For aviation, I'd envision something similar to an Aspen display (or at least the top half of it) that's put as a HUD.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
As an iPhone ap, no reason why it would be objected to since it'd be a temp install. Aren't there HUDs for experimentals now?

....

For aviation, I'd envision something similar to an Aspen display (or at least the top half of it) that's put as a HUD.
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I was thinking the same, especially the "Aspen" display schema.

But since this device is basically a projector, could one of our more creative aviators here from taking an of the shelf "deck of cards" sized projectors, build an app to create the image of the "Aspen" display schema, and then we have a less than $300 solution for the aviation world.

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AggieMike88 said:
I was thinking the same, especially the "Aspen" display schema.

But since this device is basically a projector, could one of our more creative aviators here from taking an of the shelf "deck of cards" sized projectors, build an app to create the image of the "Aspen" display schema, and then we have a less than $300 solution for the aviation world.
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Well, it would also need to somehow interface to have a real display with proper numbers. I wouldn't want to rely on a HUD that told me the wrong thing.
 
It's been interesting moving only slightly outside of a Metro area. Both Garmins have all the speed limits wrong and both try to route us out of the neighborhood via a road that has been closed and blocked for years.

One learns quickly to just ignore the thing hollering "Recalculating!" ten times after leaving the driveway or better, not bothering to hit "Go" until you hit the County Road. ;)

Garbage In, Garbage Out on a HUD sounds way more annoying than on a $100 gadget, since you'll probably pay ten times that to add it as an option at the dealer. ;)
 
Nate: How about Google maps on your smart phone? Any more accurate?
 
AggieMike88 said:
Nate: How about Google maps on your smart phone? Any more accurate?
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Yeah, better. Mapquest App seems to work too.

Map updates are probably a little less than a year old on the Garmin self-contained devices.

Karen's has lifetime map updates. I have her hand-me-down and rarely use it and it works fine for city addresses if looking for, so I don't bother paying $70 to update it when a newer unit like hers with lifetime maps and a bigger screen is only $110. Waste of $.

That thing is essentially dead by Garmin's pricing change on updates to compete with online services. Unit works fine, but it isn't worth updating. (It's an old nuvi 200-series.)

Someone told me the other day it'll run Linux... I haven't looked into it. Don't really need another underpowered Linux machine. ;)
 
There was a guy who spoke at our EAA chapter who designed one of these. It focused a laser on the prop, and could project near anything you could think of. Problem was to really make it daylight visible you needed very powerful lasers.

The problem with all these thing is the glass on which you project the image. It has to be sufficiently transparent to see through but sufficiently opaque to display an image. The cost of the military ones is mostly for the glass, and they start at a quarter million.

The US automotive companies came out with this years ago. They were able to use economies of scale to reduce the price for the glass. It never caught on, probably because it really wasn't that big a difference if all you're looking at is the speedometer. Now projecting sat nav data on the thing is a damned good idea, and it might be the time has come fro automotive HUDs. Of course, anything automotive can find it's way to GA, so here's hoping.
 
The cost of the military ones is mostly for the glass, and they start at a quarter million.
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Are you saying the glass was more than $125k of the price? Wow....

I am familiar with the laser on the back of the prop deal. I wondered if the backscatter from crappy airplane windows was another issue for him. I like the idea though.

The image on the article seemed to indicate they throwing this image up on the car glass....

I've always wondered how they can set the focal point "out in front" with a HUD. I know is probably not rocket surgery, but the idea that an image can be projected in such a manner that it appears in focus at a known distance is fascinating to me. The range from projector to reflecting surface is *tiny*, yet the image appears to be in focus way out in front of the vehicle....

I mean, it's not like you can un-focus a projected image and have your eyes bring it into focus....(can you?)
 
jhausch said:
Are you saying the glass was more than $125k of the price? Wow....
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That was according to the HUD designer, yes.

jhausch said:
I am familiar with the laser on the back of the prop deal. I wondered if the backscatter from crappy airplane windows was another issue for him. I like the idea though.
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Worked fine, you had to paint a white stripe on the back of your prop was all. Problem was to make it visible in bright daylight the lasers had to be quite powerful, pushing up power requirements and cost.

jhausch said:
The image on the article seemed to indicate they throwing this image up on the car glass....

I've always wondered how they can set the focal point "out in front" with a HUD. I know is probably not rocket surgery, but the idea that an image can be projected in such a manner that it appears in focus at a known distance is fascinating to me. The range from projector to reflecting surface is *tiny*, yet the image appears to be in focus way out in front of the vehicle....

I mean, it's not like you can un-focus a projected image and have your eyes bring it into focus....(can you?)
Click to expand...

I imagine they've designed something that you stick on the glass onto which the unit projects. You can't project onto a clear windshield with any technology I know.
 
While the dashboard projector idea is nifty, I'm also wondering if a Google Glass form factor would catch on.
 
The opaque/transparency balance is something I didn't consider.

What if we were to apply a strip of opaque "tape" at the base of the windscreen (where if we looked there, we're looking at the engine cowl) and projected the image there?
 
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