Photo: Toyota
In one of its latest reports, Toyota said it won’t spend resources to create autonomous vehicles in the near future. Its target is to let drivers do their job but provide them a good amount of extra assistance to be safe, translated through dynamic radar cruise control, lane keeping and brake assists as well as an all-new 3D head-up display.
According to a report from Car and Driver, Toyota is working on a new 3D viewing technology for about 2 years now along with Calty Design Research Inc. San Francisco and it just revealed some of the functions the system will offer when it will enter production.
To begin with, the system is said to work on a normal windshield, with no special filters or glasses being needed, perfectly integrating with the view and not causing headaches or eyestrain.
As you can see from the pictures here, the new head-up display can draw multiple shapes on the windscreen to aid with orientation, points of interest and even reveal dangers.
For example, green arrows will be “drawn” on the pavement to show you the route to the destination selected on the sat nav. Green tower of light will pop up where available parking spaces can be found, while a red shadow will appear on one of the sides if another vehicle approaches too fast and could T-bone yours.
All these are possible due to Toyota’s SPAD LIDAR (Single Photo Avalanche Diode / Light Detection and Ranging) system which is currently in the works. This combines the functions of millimeter wave radar and stereo cameras to detect the positions and shapes of obstacles during day and night.
Currently, the company is working to make the system cheap and small enough to be mounted inside the vehicle instead of occupying the roof.
A similar system is currently developed by Continental, which seamlessly blends the road scenery with arrow, lines and other shapes to show the driver other cars’ position and speed, lanes, distances and paths follow.
To begin with, the system is said to work on a normal windshield, with no special filters or glasses being needed, perfectly integrating with the view and not causing headaches or eyestrain.
As you can see from the pictures here, the new head-up display can draw multiple shapes on the windscreen to aid with orientation, points of interest and even reveal dangers.
For example, green arrows will be “drawn” on the pavement to show you the route to the destination selected on the sat nav. Green tower of light will pop up where available parking spaces can be found, while a red shadow will appear on one of the sides if another vehicle approaches too fast and could T-bone yours.
All these are possible due to Toyota’s SPAD LIDAR (Single Photo Avalanche Diode / Light Detection and Ranging) system which is currently in the works. This combines the functions of millimeter wave radar and stereo cameras to detect the positions and shapes of obstacles during day and night.
Currently, the company is working to make the system cheap and small enough to be mounted inside the vehicle instead of occupying the roof.
A similar system is currently developed by Continental, which seamlessly blends the road scenery with arrow, lines and other shapes to show the driver other cars’ position and speed, lanes, distances and paths follow.
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