With the development of automotive intelligence, connectivity, and electrification, there is a profound impact on the development of cockpit electronics. In-vehicle displays occupy a very important position in cockpit electronics.
Large size and multi-screen have become an accepted trend
The early application of in-vehicle display technology was in the central control and instrument panel, with small size and low resolution, mostly using segmented screens and dot matrix screens. As the demand for in-vehicle audio-visual and navigation increases, along with the development of TFT-LCD technology, the trend towards large size, high picture quality, multi-screen, and multi-touch is obvious.
As the world’s largest automotive market, China has intense competition and consumers have a high acceptance of new technologies. The development and application speed of in-vehicle display technology is very fast, TFT-LCD occupies the mainstream, full-size liquid crystal display instruments are growing significantly, with 7-inch and 8-inch central control screens being the main sizes, and screens over 10 inches starting to be gradually applied.
Trends in instrument display for passenger vehicles produced in China
Trends in central control displays for passenger vehicles produced in China
Manufacturers highlight displays in cockpit design
At the 2018 CES, Byton’s 50-inch curved screen was very eye-catching, non-touch, supporting gesture and voice control, replacing traditional screens and buttons, provided by BOE, while a screen was also added to the steering wheel to display map information. This is not just a promotional gimmick of emerging car manufacturers; a similar scheme was also launched by Mitsubishi at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show on the brand new concept car e-EVOLUTION, which also featured three screens spanning the entire area. However, they are not the largest in size; Toyota’s new concept car directly places the display on the entire windshield.
In fact, the design solution of ultra-large displays is not an isolated case. At the 2018 CES, many manufacturers highlighted large screens, and without considering safety, practicality, cost, etc., the progress of in-vehicle display technology indeed further opened up the design space of the cockpit.
However, the innovation of in-vehicle panel technology is not limited to size. In June 2017, JDI launched a vehicle display module that adopts a design similar to that of mobile phones, integrating traditional physical buttons into the display glass cover through Pixel EyesTM embedded touch screen technology, providing more possibilities for interior design.
Panel manufacturers accelerate to seize the in-vehicle market
In 2017, the global market size for automotive central control displays and instrument display systems exceeded $10 billion, with approximately 150 million units of TFT-LCD vehicle panels shipped. Against the backdrop of stagnating consumer electronics demand and overcapacity, the in-vehicle market is a natural choice for panel manufacturers.
In the in-vehicle TFT-LCD market, JDI, AUO, Innolux, Sharp, and LGD occupy over 70% of the market share. JDI is the dominant player in the automotive display field, occupying the high-end market, especially in the instrument market. AUO ranks first in the front-mounted central control display market, with major clients including Panasonic, Alpine, Bosch, and Fujitsu Ten, while rear-seat entertainment displays are mainly JDI and Innolux. But this pattern is not expected to last long; on one hand, Samsung’s advantaged small and medium-sized OLED may enter the in-vehicle market, while on the other hand, domestic panel manufacturers are making significant progress, with BOE and others accelerating their layout in the automotive field.
The next battlefield: OLED?
It is generally believed that OLED has better display effects and lower power consumption than LCD, can be used for flexible screens, and with the advancement of material technology, the short lifespan problem has improved. In terms of production processes, both Samsung and LGD claim that their yield exceeds 80%, and production capacity is no longer a shortcoming. Although OLED is still significantly more expensive than LCD, the difference for small-size screens is no longer so obvious. Currently, applications are mainly in televisions, with an increasing number of manufacturers adopting OLED.
In the automotive field, both OEMs and suppliers are developing OLED technology. This includes traditional instruments, central controls, HUDs, streaming media rearview mirrors, lighting, etc.
Visteon and Samsung’s curved screen
Audi e-tron quattro concept car OLED applications and breakdown diagram
Cadillac Escala and Haval HB-02 interior curved screen design
It seems that OLED will replace LCD as the mainstream in-vehicle display. However, reality may not be so. The reasons are as follows:
1. Cost remains high; even for small-size OLED, the price is still too high. Last year, Apple procured OLED panels from Samsung at a price of $110, with the OLED screen used in the iPhone X accounting for one-third of the total manufacturing cost. The latest news indicates that Apple is negotiating with Samsung to reduce it to $100, but even at this price, it is still enough to deter car manufacturers.
2. Competition among panel manufacturers; currently, OLED technology capacity is almost entirely in the hands of two major Korean panel manufacturers, Samsung and LGD, while Japanese JDI, Sharp, and Taiwanese AUO, Innolux continue to deepen LCD while chasing OLED, and adopting other new technologies such as Micro LED, Mini LED. Domestic manufacturers such as BOE and Tianma are accelerating their layout in AMOLED, but face yield issues.
Data source: OLED industry
3. The future technology roadmap is not yet determined; firstly, MicroLED is similar to OLED in that it can self-emit light, but compared to OLED, Micro LED is easier to calibrate for accurate colors, has a longer lifespan and higher brightness. At the same time, the current reliability of OLED is not high; if Micro LED can solve this issue, it could seize the in-vehicle market. Moreover, although Micro LED technology is not yet mature and the yield of process transfer is low, it does not have high resolution requirements in the automotive display field compared to consumer electronics.
Source: LED Network
Source: Public information
Secondly, Mini LED is an improved version between traditional LED and MicroLED, which can significantly reduce power consumption, has higher temperature reliability than OLED, longer lifespan, and finer HDR partitioning characteristics. Compared to Micro LED, Mini LED technology is less difficult to achieve mass production, has higher yield in processing, and is relatively easier to control costs. At the 2018 CES, Innolux launched a 10.1-inch AM mini LED vehicle panel with a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, planning to introduce it into vehicle use and commercialization within two years.
In summary, the future development of in-vehicle displays will accelerate with more diversified HMI designs, mainly presenting trends of large size, multi-screens, high picture quality, low energy consumption, and curvature, and will no longer be limited to central control and instruments, but will be more widely applied in HUDs, rear seats, rearview mirrors, vehicle bodies, etc., providing users with a richer and more convenient driving experience.
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Summit Topics
The current status and trends of automotive cockpit electronics development
The current status and trends of ADAS and autonomous driving development
The integration trends and current status of infotainment systems and digital instruments
HUD and other in-vehicle intelligent terminals
Domain controllers for cockpit and intelligent driving
The impact of automotive intelligence on cockpit and infotainment systems
Fatigue driving systems and the integration of front-view ADAS
ADAS front view, surround view, internal view systems and applications
HMI human-machine interface and intelligent voice interaction technology
Internet of Vehicles technology, TBOX, and intelligent gateways
Automotive sensors, high-precision maps, and high-precision positioning
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