Head's up! Ford's Lincoln unit improves head-up displays

It's head's up when it comes to a new development in the technology that is called a "head-up display" in new cars. The safety systems are being improved.

Ford Motor says its Lincoln luxury vehicle unit will debut a new head-up display system in its Continental flagship sedan that's the brightest, with the biggest display, yet.

The systems don't get much attention even though they can pay off when it comes to safety. A head-up display creates an image that hovers in front of the driver as they look through the windshield, minimizing the distraction of having to look down at the car's instrument panel. The car's speed and other key information appear to be floating in space somewhere over the hood.

Head-up systems are similar to the ones that fighter pilots use. In a warplane, key data is projected on the pilot's visor so that he or she doesn't have to glance down at the plane's instruments in a dogfight.

Lincoln's system can displays speed, outside temperature, status of the lane-keeping System and adaptive cruise control, fuel level and other information. 
The improvement has to do with the way the information is projected out in front of the driver.

Lincoln, according to Ford, will the first automaker to use what is called Digital Light Projection, or DLP, to make projected light more visible even to those drivers wearings polarized sunglasses.

“We’ll be using a DLP chip from Texas Instruments, while many other automakers use a different technology that doesn’t get quite as bright,” says Anthony King, product design engineer for The Lincoln in a statement. “That’s what sets us apart.”

Plus, there is a side benefit. As spring and summer approaches, the new system helps keep cars cooler in warm months due to infrared reflective coating on windows.

Hence, the technology is literally cool.