Imagine if your everyday eyeglasses supported AR applications and if valuable information could be displayed on the complete windscreen of your car to securely guide you through the traffic. The new MEMS scanning chipset developed by Infineon Technologies, containing a MEMS mirror as well as a MEMS driver, provides entirely new product designs. Due to its compact size and power efficiency, augmented reality solutions are becoming widespread for both automotive HUDs and wearable technology applications.
Among its features, Infineon’s MEMS scanning solution has an innovative tilting mirror laying the foundations for the laser scanning projector of the future. When it comes to performance, energy efficiency, size, and competitive system costs, the new solution from Infineon compares favorably with competitive MEMS scanner chipsets and system design options.
Charles Chan, Vice President and General Manager of Automotive MEMS at Infineon, mentions that real environments benefit from AR technologies by receiving valuable data that enables people to perform day-to-day activities with higher safety and convenience levels, particularly with regard to street navigation.
In addition, Charles Chan says that maps and other forms of digital data displayed on everyday glasses can help people in real-life routing scenarios such as finding the closest supermarket or a car park. In addition, he is sure that projecting driver assistance systems and route navigation on the cars’ whole windscreen, rather than a small display in front of the driver, is a huge step forward in terms of developing a safer and more convenient driving experience.
Improved customer experience in all car segments
Space restrictions pose a major challenge for incorporating AR-HUD systems into the dashboard. Although the optical volume of standard HUDs tends to be more than 30 liters, they offer a very limited field of view.
In contrast, the MEMS scanning solution from Infineon provides AR-HUD systems with minimum optical volume, making their integration even into the smallest dashboard possible. Competitive material price along with easy integration enables small cars with AR-HUDs that provide a large field of view.
Constant access to digital data with AR smart glasses
The Infineon MEMS scanning chipset allows the development of an AR micro-projector which can be aesthetically incorporated into everyday eyeglasses or sports glasses, due to its light weight. The chipset’s power efficiency makes the integration of small batteries into the frame easier, thus enabling the glasses to be worn conveniently during the day. Moreover, the batteries do not require frequent charging.
Infineon’s current collaboration with TriLite Technologies GmbH is aimed at refining the development of AR glasses’ systems for the consumer market. TriLite’s task is to provide system integration and control algorithms improving the optical performance of the system. Both companies leverage several years of research in optical MEMS and mass production capabilities.
