OLED Panels Central to Land Rover’s Discovery Vision

OLED screens will be integrated into the driver controls, in-car entertainment system and windows of the new Land Rover Discovery Vision range. A prototype of the new vehicle platform was unveiled on 21 April.

Simpler driving controls
Jaguar Land Rover is marketing the new Discovery as a major step forward in producing a smart sport utility vehicle (SUV). The driver's display will use two conformable, 3-million pixel OLED displays for driving functions. These will be controllable by touch gesture technology already familiar to smartphone users.

The new system will allow the driver to change of gears more easily using a simple hand swipe on the screen, as well as operate the Discovery's indicator lights (turn signals) and headlights. By integrating driving functions into a touchscreen format the Discovery Vision will eliminate the number of levers and knobs found on contemporary steering wheels and dashboards.

Jaguar Land Rover has invested time in developing and calibrating touchscreen sensors to ensure that such gestures are accurately captured and do not imperil the vehicle.

Interior entertainment
In-car environment functions, like air conditioning, locking and opening the doors will also be controllable via an OLED touchscreen. Passengers in the rear seats will be able to experience and control the SUV's entertainment system via another set of 10-inch OLED screens embedded in the back of the seats in front.
The Discovery Vision concept model was showcased at the New York Auto Show at the conference venue aboard the decommissioned aircraft carrier the USS Intrepid. It is designed to carry seven people. Land Rover's press release on the Vision SUV says: 'The future Discovery range is set to fundamentally enhance the way drivers around the world take on the adventure of modern life.'

Smart glass
The most interesting innovation in the concept car is to use smart glass for the windows and roof panels of the Discovery Vision. These will contain transparent OLED displays. At a basic level this would allow sensitive tinting of the windows in response to bright sunlight, but could also evolve to include the ability to display information. For example, interesting details on the landscape outside could be displayed on a passenger's window as sensors detect the direction of their gaze.

For the driver, a head-up display (HUD) could be reproduced on the windscreen. By utilising cameras embedded in the front bumper the smart glass could even be used to give a picture of what is immediately below the SUV, giving the impression of a transparent bonnet (hood) - a useful aid when driving off-road.
The head lamps will use conventional LEDs, not OLEDs as some other car manufacturers, like Audi, are starting to do, but will include other innovations like laser terrain scanning. There are even plans to develop a capacity to drive the vehicle by remote control.

Although not all of the advanced functions demonstrated in the Discovery Vision model 2014 concept model will be available at once - Land Rover sees the luxury smart SUV platform developing over the next decade.