Instrument-cluster design trends

Optrex America engineers show how automotive interior designers can use light to their advantage in designing displays for dashboard clusters.

One cluster, one LCD, lots of functionality. That sums up the current automotive instrument-cluster design trend. Integration, as well as miniaturization, is key for conserving space, controlling costs, and simplifying production. Reducing the number of discrete components needed to drive a display without sacrificing performance is the goal. Liquid crystal displays (LCD) are fast becoming the preferred display technology, owing to the fact that they facilitate the use of controller ICs (integrated circuits), which enhance integration/miniaturization efforts. Designing functionality (such as temperature control and dimming) in silicon-chip form-as opposed to using discrete components-eliminates the need for resistors and other parts.

But designing displays for automotive interiors presents other problems for engineers. The illumination principle in LCDs is either reflective (using ambient light) or transmissive (using a backlight). Ambient light changes dramatically inside a vehicle. A speedometer or radio dial easily readable at midday may not be easy to read in the evening. A digital clock with crystal-clear readability at night may be indecipherable in direct sunlight. The ideal display is the one that performs equally well under all ambient conditions.