HUD Optical Parts

With the combiner-HUD Continental extends its range of scalable solutions for head-up displays (HUD). This compact example of the HUD principle is closely related to the windshield-HUD, but requires less installation space. A small, transparent plastic disc called the “combiner” is used as a mirror for the information shown, instead of the windshield itself. Now the ergonomic advantages of HUD technology can have the broadest possible use in the vehicle. The combiner-HUD can be easily integrated in whole vehicle families as well as in particularly sporty cars with limited space in the cockpit. Compared with the windshield-HUD the combiner-HUD requires only slightly more than half the installation space, depending on the application. This is possible because the windshield does not need to be integrated in the optical path here. Instead this path is positioned in the combiner, which is optimized for its optical properties. Under favorable conditions, a combiner-HUD even comes with just one single mirror in the interior. This makes the construction not only compact but also extremely flat, which also makes it easier to integrate in smaller or particularly sporty vehicles. The combiner provides almost the same ergonomic advantages: while reading selected information, drivers can constantly keep their eyes on the traffic. They no longer have to keep looking back and forth between the road and their display instrument.