Head up display projects vital information on windscreen
When Williams BMW driver Ralf Schumacher launches his bid for the 2004 F1 World Championship in Australia, in March 2004, he will have the advantage of a helmet mounted head-up display developed by BMW and available as standard for the first time in a production car in the new BMW 545i.
Schumacher’s miniature head-up display projects vital information onto his helmet visor. In the BMW 545i it is displayed on the car’s windscreen, thus making a significant contribution to active safety and motoring comfort by presenting information relevant to the driver right in front of his eyes.
This allows the driver to take up and process important information without taking his eyes off the road. The information presented is selected from a list via the Control Display and offered on the screen according to individual requirements. Personal settings such as brightness are saved and recorded by Key Memory.
The head-up display is able to provide navigation instructions; instructions and information for the Active Cruise Control; current road speed (when chosen, this is the only permanent display) and check/control warnings. The information is also shown in part on the instrument cluster.
The virtual image is provided by a projector unit integrated in the instrument panel of the BMW 545i and transmitting the picture on to the windscreen. This requires special windscreen technology, the virtual picture appearing roughly at the end of the engine compartment lid, as perceived by the driver.
Benefiting from this very good ergonomic position of the image, the driver is able to concentrate on the road without having to lower his eyes to the cockpit so often reducing focusing problems when changing his line of vision from the road to the car’s instruments.
The head-up display is switched on in the Lights Centre. To provide a clear picture at all times even with changing light conditions, the rain/light sensor controls the brightness of the display, with the driver himself being able to set the basic brightness via the Controller and Control Display. Even a wet road or darkness, therefore, do not impair the quality of presentation, the automatic control function adjusting the presentation to ambient conditions.
Featuring VALVETRONIC, bi-VANOS, a fully variable intake manifold and other high-tech features, the V8 aluminium power unit of the BMW 545i develops maximum output of 333 bhp from its capacity of 4,393 cc. This is 47 bhp more than the former 540i.
The perfectly spaced, six-speed manual gearbox - optionally available as the SMG transmission with a sequential gearshift - ensures efficient transmission of engine power at all times. And as an alternative the driver has the choice of six-speed automatic transmission with adaptive management and Steptronic introduced for the first time in the BMW 7 Series.
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For further information, please contact:
Rania Rostom,
Corporate Communications Manager,
BMW Group Middle East,
Tel: + 971 4 3132600;
Fax: + 971 4 3300120
Or,
Malcolm Ward,
MCS/Action,
Tel: +971 4 390 2961;
Fax: +971 4 3908161.
Email: malcolm@mcsaction.com
© Press Release 2003
