Dashboard developments

Information is presented to a car’s driver in a number of ways and, depending upon the type and age of car you drive, this may be mechanically, electronically or a combination of the two. In the car manufacturer’s opinion, the most important piece of information to transmit is the car’s speed, so the speedometer is big and easily read. But there’s a whole range of other information being presented – everything from engine speed to whether your screenwash needs to be topped up. The advent of electronic dashboards has seen this information display requirement evolving into four distinct product groups: small to medium clusters; large clusters; central information displays; and head up displays. And it’ll be no surprise to find out that electronic displays started out in high end car models. But the devices are moving into more popular models quite rapidly. According to Thomas Kuschel, senior manager of microcomputer, auto and consumer ic marketing for Toshiba Electronics Europe, not only are solid state displays moving towards tft technology, they will also be found in low and mid range car models by 2010. “The European market for these devices is already several million pieces,” he noted, “and the market is expected to grow to 25m a year by 2018.” Toshiba is meeting the needs of electronic display with the Capricorn family of SoCs, each designed to address the requirements of a particular segment of the auto displays market.