Thursday, December 19, 2013

MVIS Heads Up Display


On the road: A mock-up shows a driver’s view of Microvision’s head-up display.
Head-up displays, which project visual data onto the windshield and the driver’s view of the road, are debuting in a growing number of car models. But more vibrant, compact, and efficient displays being developed by Microvision, a company based in Redmond, Washington, could help the technology become much more common. 
Japan’s Pioneer Corporation plans to release its first head-up display product based on Microvision’s novel technology this year. Major carmakers in Detroit are also planning to integrate the technology into their vehicles by 2016, says Lance Evans, a director of business development at the company. Microvision’simage projector relies on semiconductor lasers and a microscopic mirror. 


The company’s head-up display is already in some concept cars but has so far been too costly for commercial models, says Evans. Now, falling prices of green lasers—a significant cost component of the display—should make the technology competitive with conventional displays, he says. 
 Most existing head-up displays generate images using LCDs. Light-emitting diodes produce light and liquid crystal arrays act as shutters, controlling whether or not light reaches each pixel. This approach drains power, and the images often aren’t bright enough to be visible in daylight. Newer displays use either liquid crystal devices or hundreds of tiny mirrors to reflect light onto each pixel. While more energy efficient, these displays are still not very bright. 
 Microvision’s system uses a set of three lasers—red, green and blue—and a single, millimeter-wide silicon mirror that tilts on two axes. The lasers put out light at different intensities, and the three colors are mixed to produce the final pixel color. As the lasers shine light on the mirror, it rapidly scans horizontally and vertically, painting the image onto the windshield one pixel at a time. This happens so fast that the image looks static. Evans says that the lasers’ pure, saturated colors result in more vivid images with a higher contrast ratio, so they are visible in daylight. Illuminating one pixel at a time also saves energy. And the use of a single mirror rather than an array makes the device smaller, simpler, and cheaper. 
 The final cost of Microvision’s product will hinge on the price tag of advanced green lasers. Materials for true green lasers have traditionally been difficult to engineer, so most green lasers contain semiconductors that emit infrared light, which is converted to green using complicated optics. In the past few years, though, half a dozen key players, such as Nichia,Osram Opto Semiconductors, and Soraa, have developed cheaper pure-green lasers. They’re slowly scaling up production, which should lower costs. Evans expects that costs should fall to a tenth of current levels by the end of this year. 
“Green lasers alone are $200 each now,” he says. “Car companies are looking at the whole display to be that much.” Microvision’s laser-scanning display technology beats its competitors in terms of image quality, says Krishna Jayaraman, an analyst at Frost & Sullivan
While other companies are also developing laser-based head-up displays, Microvision was the first to propose the approach and has a technology lead. Chris Chinnock, president of the display market research firm Insight Media, points out that mobile connectivity is on the rise, and drivers need more and more information to be displayed in the least distracting way possible. That means the head-up display market for cars could be on the cusp of significant growth.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

"Desk Free Computer" from Apple

With Laser Powered projector and wireless charging.


Desk-Free

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday awarded Apple a patent for a completely wireless portable computer that uses a projection system, rather than a conventional LCD display, as its primary mode of visual output. 

Monday, December 16, 2013

Just because this looks REALLY cool

Beam of darkness makes objects invisible from a distance




A research team from the University of Singapore has developed a device that can make objects invisible by bathing them in a beam of darkness.
The system takes the conventional approach to optics -- which generally aims to make images as sharp and clear as possible -- and turns it completely on its head. Usually imaging systems focus light into a pattern known as a point spreading function, which consists of a spiked central region of high intensity (the main lobe) surrounded by a concentric region of lower intensity light and a higher intensity lobe after this. In order to achieve the best resolution, the central region should be narrowed and intensified, while the outer lobe is supressed. This makes sure that the image is very bright and sharp with well-defined edges.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Hud for Ski-goggles from Recon Instruments.

  • See the website Here:
    Dual Core CPU. Bluetooth. Wifi. ANT+. GPS. High Resolution Display.Speed is accurately calculated by GPS and barometric pressure data
  • Jump analytics show airtime either in the park, or backcountry kickers
  • Track your vertical feet by run, by day and over the course of the season
  • The onboard altimeter tracks your altitude to within 1 meter
  • Find your way around new resorts and easily track down points of interest
  • Never lose track of friends or family on the slopes again
  • View calls and read text messages immediately, as you receive them
  • Be in full control of your favourite tunes as you ski or board

Thursday, December 5, 2013

New Smartphone Batteries


Advanced Lithium/Sulfur Cells Developed for Smartphone Batteries

Posted on Dec 1 2013 - 10:00pm by Giancarlo Perlas


Advanced LithiumSulfur Cell Developed for Smartphone Batteries

The most commonly used Smartphone batteries are Lithium-ion-based (Li-Ion). Some variations of this type of battery also exist like the Li-Po or the Lithium-ion Polymer used by the iPhone 5. But a new battery that runs on lithium and sulfur cells might become a game-changer in the future.
According to a new report from Gizmag, a new kind of battery has been discovered. This new material is made up of advanced Lithium/Sulfur cells and is known with the abbreviation Li/S. The revolutionary invention was made by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Advantages of Li/S Cells for Smartphone Batteries

Based on the news, the advanced Li/S offers a unique combination of enhanced power, faster recharge speed, more durability and increased energy capacity.
Gizmag explained that the increased energy-storage capacity is made possible by the two electrons produced each time a molecule is processed through the battery’s structure. Then, its composition of lithium anode, carbon-sulfur cathode and electrolyte enables it to produce approximately 1.7 to 2.5 volts depending on the charge state of the cell. The voltage produced is double the amount of current that the usual Li-Ion battery gives off.
Looking at the advantages stated by the report, Smartphone batteries with Li/S cells will surely address one of the top Smartphone problems users which is related to the quick draining of the battery.

Read more at http://thedroidguy.com/2013/12/advanced-lithiumsulfur-cells-developed-for-smartphone-batteries/#66ErzBcGyqg8Xtbi.99


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Stock Trades with Microvision Insiders

Form 4 Filings On November 18, 2013



November 19th, 2013 
by Dawn Goetter


We have had a number of calls today regarding several Form 4’s that were filed with the SEC yesterday by MicroVision. There seems to be confusion and a mis-impression that company executives sold shares when in fact the opposite is true.
The Form 4’s filed on Monday were the result of a tranche of restricted stock unit (RSU) awards vesting on November 15, 2013. The vesting of these shares creates a tax withholding obligation. Each officer surrendered to the Company a number of shares with a value that equals the tax obligation. No shares were sold by the officers. Disclosure codes (F and D) on these Form 4s indicate that there was a payment of tax liability by the executive delivering stock to the Company upon vesting of the RSU. In addition, there was a footnote on the Form 4 that stated: “Shares were withheld for payment of $___ tax liability on the vesting of a restricted stock unit award.”
Separately, the trading window for MicroVision employees just opened following the issuance of last week’s Q3 financial results press release. Alex Tokman, our CEO, purchased 20,000 shares today in the open market. His purchase is reflected on a Form 4 disclosure filing made today.
If you still have questions regarding these transactions, please let us know by email ir@microvsion.com or call us at 425 882 6629.

- See more at: http://microvision.com/displayground/uncategorized/form-4-filings-on-november-18-2013/#sthash.cqgnqyBh.dpuf


Full Post

Monday, November 18, 2013

Interesting Day.

Apple buys company behind Kinect technology: Report

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Published: Sunday, 17 Nov 2013 | 2:35 PM ET
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Devin Coldewey | NBC News
The Kinect unit itself, with microphone, time-of-flight unit, and traditional camera.
Apple has bought PrimeSense, an Israeli maker of chips that enable three-dimensional (3D) machine vision, for $345 million, the Calcalist financial newspaper reported on Sunday without citing sources.
PrimeSense has raised $85 million from Israeli and U.S. venture capital funds such as Canaan Partners Global, Gemini Israel and Genesis Partners, Calcalist said.
"We are focused on building a prosperous company while bringing 3D sensing and natural interaction to the mass market in a variety of markets such as interactive living room and mobile devices," a spokeswoman for PrimeSense said. "We do not comment on what any of our partners, customers or potential customers are doing and we do not relate to rumors or recycled rumors."
PrimeSense's sensing technology, which gives digital devices the ability to observe a scene in three dimensions, was used to help power Microsoft's Xbox Kinect.
The acquisition of PrimeSense would be Apple's second purchase of an Israeli company. It bought flash storage chip maker Anobit in January 2012.
And these folks were involved with this... note the PicoP on the shoulder.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Auto-Parts Industry Thrives by Shift to High Tech Gear



Eight years ago, auto-parts maker Delphi Corp.'s bankruptcy filing heralded the storm that would engulf the U.S. auto industry and drive some of its biggest names into Chapter 11.
Now leaner and profitable, a renamed Delphi Automotive DLPH +1.93% PLC is back and again leading the way—this time toward a healthy automotive industry built on high-tech electronics, software and fuel-efficiency-boosting products.
The Troy, Mich., company's return on invested capital is 34%, nearly double the 18% industry average. It reported a profit of $1.08 billion last year, compared with a loss of $4.75 billion in 2004, the year before it filed for bankruptcy.
The biggest factor in its turnaround: Delphi is steering away from low-margin steering wheels, ball bearings and spark plugs to technologically complex products, especially "active safety products," such as adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning systems and front and rear cameras, which help prevent accidents. The company also is working on technology that allows a vehicle to see and react to objects, signs and pedestrians....



Full Article

Monday, November 4, 2013

Penbook

Penbook

The PDF document linked at the end is also very interesting.

excerpt:
"IMPLEMENTATION
In the following, we first introduce the custom-built hardware setup and its components. Second, we detail the software architecture and integrated components. As there is currently no available slate device which features a built-in projector and paper-like cover, we designed and built such a system consisting of four main components which are described in the following:

1) A tablet computer (Motorola Zoom 2) that serves as the upright touch screen.
2) A smartphone (Samsung Galaxy SII) connected to a laser pico-projector (Microvision ShowWx+ HDMI) in order to control the projected screen and its content. The optical path of the projection passes two mirrors in order to increase its overall length. Despite the low brightness of the projector, the projection can be seen very well in standard indoor lighting due to the short distance to the projection surface and the innate sharp focus of the laser projector.
3) An Anoto pen, which supports hand-written input on paper equipped with a specific pattern. The pen does not dispense ink; instead, strokes made with the pen are projected on the paper. The pen tracks the Anoto pattern on the paper to track its position on the projection screen using a built in infrared camera. The information is sent via Bluetooth to the mobile phone. We reverse-engineered the communication protocol of the pen and wrote a driver to connect the digital pen to Android that allows fine-grained control over its features. Additionally, a capacitive cap was added to enable pen-touch input on the touch screen. The above mentioned components are integrated into an aluminum case with a flexible stand and a foldable cover that contains the projection screen.

The commercial availability of projector phones (e.g. Samsung Galaxy Beam) indicates that that device could be built in a form factor similar to standar slate devices. The Penbook software components are jointly distributed between the devices."




http://www.uni-ulm.de/fileadmin/website_uni_ulm/iui.inst.100/institut/Papers/Prof_Rukzio/2013/its128na-winkler.pdf

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Motorola unveils Project Ara for custom smartphones


I have often said, expect the innovation to come in ways we haven't even imagined... this may be part of it.

The highly modular approach aims to let you swap in items such as keyboard, battery, or display so that your handset stays up-to-date much longer than today's smartphones.



Motorola has announced a new initiative to help smartphone users take handset customization beyond ringtones, wallpaper, and body colors to its very form and function.
The Google-owned handset company on Monday announced Project Ara, a free, open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones. An endoskeleton, or structural frame, holds the smartphone modules of the owner's choice, such as a display, keyboard, or extra battery. The approach should allow users to swap out malfunctioning modules or upgrade as innovations emerge, providing a handset that stays up-to-date much longer than today's smartphones.
"Our goal is to drive a more thoughtful, expressive, and open relationship between users, developers, and their phones," Motorola wrote in a company blog post. "To give you the power to decide what your phone does, how it looks, where and what it's made of, how much it costs, and how long you'll keep it.".....


Full Article

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Pico Projectors Market Will be Worth US $6.08 Billion by 2014

Be careful with what you believe!

It's from a research company that's selling research, but the assertion is interesting.

"(PRWEB) October 27, 2013
According to a new market research report, "Global Pico Projector Market (2010 - 2015)", the world pico projectors market revenue is estimated to reach 6080.57 million by the end of 2014, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 120.56% from the period 2009-2014. The US market is expected to account for nearly 85% of the total market revenue by production and 41.5% by consumption.


Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1548392#ixzz2iygZrNvJ"

Full Article

"Lasers are more efficient and offer a more natural white light"

BMW Laser Headlights Slice Through the Dark

11OLLaserIlluminationf1

...The field is blowing open, Rudy and Nakamura say. Beyond cars, projectors, and displays, expect to see uses in cellphone “pico” projector displays and future head-mounted systems, such as those now used in Google Glass. Lasers may even end up lighting our homes, offices, stadiums—you name it.
For general lighting, what makes the lasers attractive is that they can be packed much more densely on a chip than LEDs can. Laser-based lights would not only be more energy efficient on a dollars-per-lumen basis but also more flexible, able to work as spotlights or floodlights at the flick of a switch. If costs continue to fall, Rudy says, laser lights could make the leap to general use in roughly 10 years...

*     *     *     *     *

...BMW intends to introduce the laser-based system on its 2014 i8 plug-inhybrid sports car. As with any plug-in vehicle, the i8 has a particular need to conserve battery electricity for propulsion, as well as for steering assist, entertainment, and heating and cooling. Finding small savings everywhere—even on the order of mere watts—translates directly into more miles of driving range.

Unlike slow-starting, single-brightness HIDs, the laser lights switch on in milliseconds and instantly go to 100 percent illumination. Easy to package in motorized modules, space-saving lasers “offer huge advantages for today’s projection systems,” Levering says.
The full article is very interesting!

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Interesting Comparison of Picoprojector engines

This was published in 2011, so some of the information may be dated, and there have almost certainly been significant improvements in each of the classes. For example, we know that the resolutions have improved since then.

The contrast ratio is very interesting.

Specifications of Pico projector

The whole article is found at the link below.

From Invest in Taiwan

OML at EURODISPLAY 2013, London

From Optical Microsystems Laboratory

[1] K. AkÅŸit, O. Eldes, M. K. Hedili and H. Urey, “Paper No 15.1: Augmented reality and 3D displays using pico-projectors,” in EURODISPLAY2013: 33rd International Display Research Conference, September, SID, 2013.
[2] O. Eldes, K. AkÅŸit, and H. Urey, “Paper No 17.4: 3D Auto-stereoscopic display using pico-projectors and rotating screen,” in EURODISPLAY2013: 33rd International Display Research Conference, September, SID, 2013.
[3] P. Surman, B. Day, B. Boby, H. Chen, K. AkÅŸit, and H. Urey, “Paper No 15.2: Head-Tracked Retroreflecting 3D Display,” in EURODISPLAY2013: 33rd International Display Research Conference, September, SID, 2013.
Our presentations from the conference can be found as the video link down below:
Prof. Dr. Urey’s presentation:
Osman Eldes’s presentation:

Pico Projector Roundup

Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pico Pocket Projectors
Projectors have become essential business tools; at just about every meeting there’s a projector attached to a laptop displaying spreadsheets or presentations. At home, a projector can replace an LCD TV or Plasma TV by filling a wall with a movie, console game, or YouTube video.
There’s a new class of projector emerging that fits in the palm of your hand. Some of these are being built into phones and it wouldn’t surprise us to see them appear in HD camcorders and digital cameras. Called handheld or pico projectors, these tiny devices can be used for business or personal entertainment.
Microvision
There are still very few of these devices that you can actually buy today but you should see more become available as this hot product category grows. Here’s a rundown of some of the latest of these little gems:
Microvision PicoP
Microvision hopes to see its laser-based pico projectors in everything from cell phones to laptops. Their SHOWWX projector has been shown at trade shows filling a large screen with a fairly good quality image. Early adopters should expect to pay around $ 400 – $ 500 for these when they go on sale.
3M Micro Professional Projector MPro110
The 3M Micro Professional Projector MPro110 weighs 5.6 ounces and can display a 50 inch image using LED LCoS technology. Though the picture is not as high quality as a 50″ Plasma TV, this pico projector has been on the market over 6 months and costs $ 359.
Optomo PK101
Optomo’s PK101 pico pocket projector uses DLP technology with an LED light source. It weighs 4 ounces and can project an image up to 60 inches. It costs around $ 400.
AAXA Technologies P1 Projector
AAXA Technologies sells their P1 Projector for an MSRP of $ 259. It has an SD card slot, built-in speaker and uses LED LCoS technology.
Samsung MBP200
The Samsung MBP-200 is an updated version of the MBP-100. It uses DLP Pico technology to display an image up to 50 inches. It includes a microSd card slot, headphone jack, and 2.2 inch screen. A possible alternative to Samsung TVs.
Toshiba PICO
News on this stylish pico projector has been sparse since its announcement at CES in January 2009. Reports indicated it could shed 10 lumens of light on a WVGA (848 X 480 pixel) image.
Aiptek Pocket Cinema V10
You can actually buy this LCoS pico projector based on 3M technology. It has been on the market for over a year and sells for $ 285. It only gets a 3 out of 5 rating on amazon.com but it will project a 42 inch, 640 X 480 image and includes an SDHC card slot.
Toshiba PICO
This projector is powered by the 3M optical engine that will display a 50 inch VGA (640 X 480) image. It includes a 3.5 mm audio jack and a built-in volume switch. They claim 80 minutes of use on a charge. The projector is innovating like many of the Toshiba TVs out in the market.
Pico Projectors in Cell Phones
If Texas Instruments has any say in the matter, every cell phone will have a built-in projector. TI unveiled its latest generation OMAP chip set at Mobile World Congress 2009. The OMAP 4 claims to be three times faster than its predecessor which will enable mobile devices to project images faster as well as record video and play it back at high rates. TI’s chip set has powered mobile devices like Samsung’s recently launched phone (available in South Korea).  The phone can beam video or photographs from the phone to a flat surface.
Projectors Built In to Eyeglasses
An Israeli company named Lumus has developed eyewear that uses LOE (light guide optical element) to make a pair of glasses that you can see through as well as view an image on. A tiny projector located inthe temple of the glasses spreads an image across the lens using light guide technology. If it works as well as they say it does it could be a good alternative to bulky goggles that you can’t see through when they’re off.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

TechSci Research: Continuous Wave Laser Diodes Market Set To Cross US$ 5.9 Billion by 2018

Growing market for consumer electronics, display applications and automotive are expected to drive the laser diode market over the coming years.




(PRWEB) October 23, 2013

Rapid growth and increased acceleration of display applications market has been driving the market for laser diodes for several years. Over the last few years, the market for diodes has witnessed noteworthy changes in terms of output enhancement and scope in various industries. Continuous wave based laser diode is one of the key markets in the laser diode industry and is growing profusely as a result of its introduction in applications such as consumer electronics, defence/aerospace, telecommunications, industrial, etc.
According to a recently published report by TechSci Research “Global Continuous Wave Laser Diodes Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2018”, the global continuous wave based laser diodes market is expected to cross US$ 5.9 Billion by 2018. Increasing applications such as Pico-Projectors, Head-Up Display, Biomedical Instrumentation, Blu-Ray and Gaming Consoles are expected to drive the market for continuous wave laser diodes globally. Osram Opto Semiconductors, Coherent, Newport and Nichia are the leading players in the laser diode market.
The continuous wave based laser diodes are being deployed for material processing, telecommunications, storage devices, laser pointers, etc. Global continuous wave based laser diodes market is expected to see dramatic changes over the next five years because of the increasing applications in consumer electronics and defence sectors. Emerging applications such as head-up display and panels in automotive market are also contributing significantly to the growth of laser diodes market.
“Green laser diodes are the newest technology in the continuous wave based diode market and the market is still at a nascent stage. During the next five years, it is expected to be the fastest growing segment in the laser diode market because of its increasing usage in head up display and Pico projector applications. These diodes are capable of providing more polarized output and this segment’s growth is likely to be driven by the growth in automotive, consumer electronics and defence applications”, said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research, a research based global management consulting firm.
Global Continuous Wave Laser Diodes Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2018” has analyzed the potential of laser diode market and provides statistics and information on market sizes, shares and trends. The report will suffice in providing the intending clients with cutting-edge market intelligence and help them in taking sound investment decisions. Besides, the report also identifies and analyses the emerging trends along with essential drivers and key challenges faced by the industry.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/10/prweb11255859.htm

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Apple's plan for Auto Hud

How Apple plans to turn car dashboards into giant touchscreens fitted with LASERS that track eye movements


How Apple plans to turn car dashboards into giant touchscreens fitted with LASERS that track eye movements

  • Patent reveals plans for in-car touchscreen system called Digital Dash
  • Dash is fitted with lasers and cameras to track head and eye movements
  • Onscreen buttons designed to feel like 'real knobs, switches and sliders'
Apple could one day turn car dashboards into giant touchscreens.
According to a patent it has been granted, the 'Digital Dash' system would be fitted with laser pointers that track the driver's eye movements as well as cameras that track head movements, and voice controls. 
It also has 'textured' onscreen buttons - created by notches and grooves in a screen overlay - that have been designed to feel like real knobs and switches and can be used to control car temperature and wipers, for example.
Apple's Digital Dash patent is an extension of its iOS in the Car feature of iOS 7, pictured.
Apple's Digital Dash patent is an extension of its iOS in the Car feature of iOS 7, pictured. The feature was announced last month and is due to be released in 2014. It connects wirelessly to iPhones and can be used to take calls on a hands-free kit, for example
This image, taken from an Apple patent, is an early design for a Digital Dash - car dashboards fitted with touchscreens.
This image, taken from an Apple patent, is an early design for a 'Digital Dash' - a car dashboard fitted with a touchscreen. The patent has been granted by the U.S Patent and Trademark Office and the system is an extension of the iOS in the Car plans announced with Apple's iOS 7

GARMIN'S HEADS-UP DISPLAY SATELLITE NAVIGATION SYSTEM

Talking satnavs and taking your eyes off the road to peer at a small screen could soon be a thing of the past after engineers have developed a portable device that beams directions onto the inside of a car windscreen. 
Satellite navigation expert Garmin has created a portable heads-up display (HUD) that sits on a car's dashboard and projects turn-by-turn directions on a transparent film attached to the windscreen. 
The directions are sent to the HUD over Bluetooth from a smartphone running the Garmin StreetPilot or NAVIGON satellite navigation apps.
The Garmin HUD will go on sale in September and cost £139. 
These plans are in addition to the iOS in the Car system announced as part of iOS 7, which is set to launch next year. 
The plans filed to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office credit Canadian Tim Pryor as the inventor of the dash system.  
It contains a mix of original designs dating back to 1971 and more modern plans. 
The patent is called 'Programmable tactile touch screen displays and man-machine interfaces for improved vehicle instrumentation and telematics', or 'Digital Dash' for short.
According to the plans, the dashboard would have a heads-up display (HUD) fitted into the driver's armrest to display maps, directions and so on. 
A touchscreen on the dashboard would respond to laser pointers that can track the driver's eyes and switch layouts and screens accordingly, based on where the driver is looking. 
It would also have cameras that detect a driver's head position so that onscreen information can be moved within the line of sight, for example. 
Many of the other examples used in the patent involve images being projected onto the touchscreen, and because these images could be customised and changed, depending on what tools and features the driver wanted, the whole system could be programmable.
Under Apple's 'Digital Dash' plans, an in-car system is fitted with laser pointers that track the driver's eye movements, cameras that track which direction their head is facing, as as well as voice controls.
Under Apple's 'Digital Dash' plans, an in-car system is fitted with laser pointers that track the driver's eye movements, cameras that track which direction their head is facing, as as well as voice controls. A heads-up display could be built into the driver's armrest, too
The touchscreen itself is shown as having 'raised ridges, indents or other tactile properties to facilitate operation without diverting attention away from the road.'
This would mean that the driver could run their hand over a textured touchscreen and be able to work out where they need to press or slide without having to look down at the screen.
Elsewhere, transparent buttons designed to feel like real knobs, switchers and sliders could be added onto a screen overlay to make it easier for drivers to navigate the controls while driving. 
Similarly lights behind the screen could illuminate the controls or switch off when the controls are not in use. 
Textured buttons on the screen of the Digital Dash that control the car's temperature, the wipers, the radio and so on could be added to a screen overlay to make them feel like real-life knobs, switches and sliders
This is a more modern version of textured buttons on the screen of the Digital Dash that control the car's temperature, the wipers, the radio and so on could be added to a screen overlay to make them feel like real-life knobs, switches and sliders
Textured buttons on the screen of the Digital Dash could be used to control the car's temperature, the wipers, the radio and so on. They would be added to a screen overlay to make them feel like real-life knobs, switches and sliders. The images on the left show early designs while the right-hand image shows a more modern look
In the patent, Pryor said: 'One problem is how to interact with the display, without having a keyboard - which is generally too cumbersome, switch filled, and space consuming for a car dash, armrest, or other interior location. 
'And a mouse is pretty much impossible as well.
'I feel a key part of the answer lies in a form of tactile display or touchscreen with tactile properties not hereto fore seen. 
'This display could, depending on its construction, occupy some, or even most of the dashboard (also called dash, or instrument panel).'
He continues that the Digital Dash would create improve productivity because 'people in the USA spend over 500 million hours it is said in their cars, and much of this time is wasted, from a business point of view.'
Apple's iOS in the Car will also display maps and directions on a touchscreen built into the car's dashboard.
Apple's iOS in the Car will also display maps and directions on a touchscreen built into the car's dashboard. BMW has announced it will make the system a standard feature in its new models set for release next year
The patent is an extension of the iOS in the Car features of Apple's new iOS 7 software, announced last month. 
According to Apple: 'iOS in the Car seamlessly integrates your iOS device - and the iOS experience - with your in-dash system.'
It is expected to launch in 2014 and drivers of vehicles fitted with the iOS in the Car system will be able to connect their iPhone 5 and interact with the dashy using the car's built-in display controls or Siri Eyes Free.
BMW has announced it will make the system a standard feature in its new models set for release next year.
Apple adds that with iOS in the Car: 'Now you can easily and safely make phone calls, access your music, send and receive messages, get directions, and more. 
'It’s all designed to let iPhone focus on what you need, so you can focus on the road.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2359312/How-Apple-plans-turn-car-dashboards-giant-touchscreens-LASERS-track-eye-movements.html#ixzz35re6Gz5D
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2359312/How-Apple-plans-turn-car-dashboards-giant-touchscreens-LASERS-track-eye-movements.html