Design and modeling of an automotive head-up display with the Ansys Optical

EyeLights develops augmented reality systems to assist the piloting of various vehicles.

Inspired by the technologies used on fighter jets, these head-up display (HUD) technologies are futuristic devices that propel augmented reality directly into the driver's field of vision. With a presence in all 4 corners of the world, and a strong focus on R&D, EyeLights is constantly looking for new solutions to revolutionize tomorrow's mobility.

Their main challenge is to have a Field Of View (FOV) large enough to enable augmented reality displays (computer vision: detection of pedestrians, lines, traffic elements, etc.) with a relatively comfortable eyebox to cover all driver percentiles. A real challenge, since the volumes allocated by automakers are increasingly small compared with the desired fields of vision.

Their second challenge is to achieve sufficient brightness and resolution in the eyebox over large, long-distance fields of view, so that the indications projected by the system over long distances are visible whatever the ambient lighting conditions.

Thanks to ANSYS optical simulation software, EyeLights is able to quantify and optimize the performance of its augmented reality systems. EyeLights is thus able to produce prototypes and demonstrators that are close to production products.

By bringing its optical design capabilities in-house, EyeLights avoids subcontracting and maintains absolute confidentiality with its innovative concepts. Having optical designers who specialize in the SPEOS and ZEMAX software packages means that concepts can be explored and validated in a very short time, accelerating optical research and development, and enabling us to innovate on a daily basis.

With the SPEOS HUD tool, optical systems can be quickly set up and dimensioned to evaluate the performance that can be achieved within the volume specified by the customer. EyeLights is thus able to carry out feasibility studies with a high degree of confidence about the final performance that can be communicated to automakers.

Optical modeling with ZEMAX, and in particular the use of optimization and tolerancing modules, has improved the quality of prototyped systems.

Thanks to the start-up program, ANSYS enabled EyeLights to obtain the optical bundle to use SPEOS and ZEMAX, and to explore their possibilities within a budget compatible with that of a young innovative company.

The design, optimization and tolerancing of a high-performance HUD system requires the use of expert optical simulation software.

EyeLights creates optical systems for augmented reality. Using the ZEMAX simulation tool, they model and optimize each optical surface with precision. The SPEOS HUD module is used to simulate the rendering of their systems before they are built.

The optical simulation tools enable a workflow such as described below:

• Setup of the optical configuration using the SPEOS HUD module, sizing and analysis of the performance that can be achieved,
• Optimization of the optical surfaces of the dimensioned configuration using ZEMAX to obtain the best performance within the given volume,
• Tolerancing with the appropriate tool in ZEMAX to assess the performance of the optics and fixtures for the HUD,
• Import of the ZEMAX-optimized system into SPEOS and verification of the system using the SPEOS HUD analysis tool,
• Correcting any digital errors in the source images using the data generated by the HUD analysis tool and simulating photorealistic renderings of the virtual images.