Many automobile manufacturers have replaced the traditional mechanical dashboard with the all-LCD one. Features such as high-tech look, customizable information display and reflection of sense of science and technology have led to the great popularity of the all-LCD dashboard. The all-LCD dashboard will be the trend of future development and the related technology is definitely not simple.
Cars With a Digital Dashboard
The design of a dashboard usually tells the orientation of the vehicle, such as its positioning (price and target customer) and style; therefore, the look of a dashboard resembles the second face of a car. Currently, there are three main types of dashboard design: mechanical gauges, mechanical gauges with LCD display and all-LCD; among these, LCD dashboards are available in various sizes, such as 4.3-inch, 7-inch, 12.1-inch and 12.3-inch to meet different demands of all cars.
The benefit of introducing the all-LCD dashboard is its customizable information display; drivers can switch the information display according to their needs. Except the must-have speedometer and tachometer, the all-LCD dashboard can also display information including fuel gauge, gear, temperature of the radiator, odometer and various indicators (such as turn-signal lights, turn on the headlight and MIL); it can also be integrated with a map for navigation and drivers can even change the theme into sport or high-tech style to meet their preferences. In addition, users can customize the information displayed on the dashboard and adjust according to their preferences as well as moods at any time, which is impossible for the traditional mechanical dashboard to realize.
Development of the all-LCD Dashboard
Originally, the all-LCD dashboard was more popular among several luxury car brands; however, with the maturity of technology and the manufacturing cost is continuously decreasing, there are more and more cars that come with the all-LCD dashboard. For some car types, the all-LCD dashboard is essential, such as the new energy car. Compared to traditional cars, new energy ones require more information to be displayed, such as current driving mode, the status of energy recovery system and the remaining capacity of car battery. Furthermore, the car multimedia and basic information can be displayed in a more logical way to ensure safe driving with the integrated . Therefore, the virtual all-LCD dashboard can be regarded as the most advanced car dashboard so far and the direction as well as trend of future development.
Types of Car Operating Systems
Besides different display modes, the core of the LCD dashboard system development lies in its operating system. There are several OS available now, including Linux, Android, QNX and Win CE. Each system has its own advantages and disadvantages; for example, Linux and Android OS are open-source, meaning there is no purchase charge (the support charge is necessary for Android OS) and the kernels are adjustable (adjustments on Android OS need to comply with Google’s standards). On the other hand, QNX and Win CE are non open-source systems, which means they charge for royalty and support. QNX Software Systems is responsible for the cut-down in QNX, a microkernel OS; meanwhile, the cut-down of kernel in Win CE OS needs to comply with Microsoft’s standards.
Among these 4 systems, the startup of QNX is the fastest, followed by Linux, and Win CE and Android are comparatively slow. As for system stability, QNX still shows the best performance, followed by Linux, and Win CE and Android are comparatively weak. However, each company has different focuses and may choose the OS that fits their core competence and meets their demands of system development most.
Compared with a traditional dashboard, the all-LCD one comes with additional components related to its display function, such as the display monitor, GPU and dedicated memory. Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth or even a 3G/4G network interface is necessary if users wish to connect to the internet.
LCD Dashboard Installation
Installing an LCD dashboard in the car is something more than just adding a display monitor. The information displayed on an LCD dashboard is much richer than a traditional one and the collection of all information requires collaboration with sensors as well as accuracy tuning. Meanwhile, since vehicles are often used in harsh environments and considering the room in dashboard is quite insufficient and the monitor as well as GPU in LCD display module generates heat during use, it is technically an arduous task for the R&D team to overcome the difficulty of looking for or developing hardware products that are suitable for car use and combining them into one hardware environment that can address the demands of vehicle.
Take the dashboard system from Michip Technologies Co., Ltd., in Shenzhen for example; it adopts Freescale i.MX6D (ARM Cortex A9 1GHz) and MB96F696, the microcontroller from CYPRESS, as the hardware of its 2nd generation whole TFT LCD series. This system supports TFT 12.3-inch screen, H.264 advanced video coding and resolution up to 1920 x 720p; it is developed in Linux OS with a cold start time less than 2 seconds.
The all-LCD dashboard has become an inevitable trend for modern car design; with the gradual decrease of design cost, several entry-level car types are given the advantage to employ the all-LCD dashboard to improve model competitiveness and its sense of science and technology. It is predicted that there will be more cars coming with the all-LCD dashboard in the future to enable drivers to enjoy the convenience of technology.