Back to 20 years ago, you might use a knob to adjust the radio or CD selection with a long monochrome LCD indicating the information. Back to 10 years ago, you might see some big LCD displays used in center stack, infotainment.  Now, almost every car from top of the luxury models to basic level vehicles have kind of touchscreen display. If you pay more attention, you will find the touch sensors are widely used in today’s automotive, center stock,  middle/center console, rear mirror, overhead panel, electronic pedal, backseat entertainment, door panel, steeling wheel etc. See Fig.1.

Fig.1 Touch Sensors used in Vehicle

The same as mobile phones starting with Apple iPhone in 2007, all these rapid changes in automotive displays come from the development of multi-touch capacitive touchscreen technology.

Touchscreen display has the simple design and mount, open-source software, low pricing tooling of OEM , low power consumption,  besides HMI (Human Machine Interface) provide great user experience like mobile phones. Now, all the automakers, BMW, Tesla, Benz, Ford, GM etc. are designing more and more touch sensors in their vehicles.

More interesting, the first touchscreen display and infotainment system was first used for the Buick Riviera in 1986. The car used a 9 inch touch screen equipped with the graphic control center infotainment system with a CRT display. Compared with today’s standard, it was green and blurry, but back then it represented the highest technology and future. For the commercial show of Buick Riviera, let’s back to 1986 with the Youtube link.

Infotainment used by different automaker

• Acura: NSX super car: 7 inch touchscreen, RDX crossover: 10.2 inch “True Touchpad Interface”.
• Alfa Romeo: Giulia and Stelvio with 6.5 and 8.8 inch infotainment displays.
• Audi: 12.3 inch touch screen digital instrument cluster interact with infotainment system through Virtual Cockpit.
• Bentley: Bentaygo, Flying Spur and Mulsanne equipped with 8 inch touchscreens. Continental GT uses 12.3 inch touchscreen infotainment system.
• BMW: 2019 X5 and X7 use a 12.3 inch touchscreen, 3, 8 series and Z4 10.25 inch touchscreen.
• Buick: screen sizes are either 7 or 8 inches.
• Chevrolet: offers 7 and 8 inch touchscreen infotainment system. Bollt EV is with 10.2 inch screen.
• Chrysler:  Chrysler 300 and Pacifica offer 8.5 inch screen, while Pacifica minivan offers 7 inch LCD display.
• Dodge: Challenger and Charger are with 7 inch and 8.4 inch touchscreens. Journey is the base model with 4.3 inch touchscreen.
• Ferrari:  equipped with 10.2 inch touchscreen system with navigation.
• Fiat 500: hatchback and Cabrio, Abarth trim have 5 inch touchscreen with Bluetooth. 500X and 500L equipped with 7 inch touchscreen.
• Ford: Sync 3 uses 6.5 or 8 inch touchscreens. 2020 Explorer has an option with a 10.1 inch portrait touchscreen.
• Genesis: G90 has a 12.3 inch touchscreen. G70, G80 together with 8 inch touchscreen and option to add a 9.2 inch display on the center console.
• GMC: most with 7 or 8 inch touchscreen displays.
• Honda: offers a basic 5 inch radio system without touch! Higher trim levels can have option with 7 or 8 inch touchscreen displays.
• Hyundai: uses 7 or 8 inch touchscreen displays.
• Infiniti:  Most models uses 7 or 8 inch touchscreen displays with navigation.
• Jaguar: 8 inch touchscreen for standard models and 10 inch touchscreen for upgraded models.
• Jeep: uses 7 and 8.4 inch touchscreens.
• Kia: uses 7 or 8 inch touchscreens.
• Lamborghini: uses a 10.1 inch primary touchscreen with an 8.6 inch display.
• Land Rover: 8 inch touchscreen as standard and updated with 10 inch system.
• Lexus:  Some models with no touch for basic ! and upgrade with 10.3 inch touchscreen.  Other choices can be 8 inch screen is standard model with 12.3 inch touchscreen display as update. Mazda: with 7 inch touchscreen.
• Mercedes-Benz: The touchscreen display system is called MBUX. It uses 7, 10.25 or 12.3 inch screens depending on model.
• Mini: uses 6.5 inch screens as standard and 8.8 inch touchscreen as optional.
• Mitsubishi: uses a 7 inch touchscreen infotainment system as standard and 8 inch touchscreen with some high end models.
• Nissan: Most models use 7 or 8 inch touchscreen.
• Porsche: uses 12.3 inch touchscreen with navigation.
• Ram: uses 5, 8.4 and 12 inch screens depending on trim level.
• Rolls-Royce: equipped with 10.25 inch touchscreen.
• Subaru:  uses 6.2, 6.5, 7, 8 inch touchscreen displays.
• Tesla: Model S and X use 17 inch vertically oriented touchscreen and Model 3 and Y with 15 inch touchscreen.
• Toyota: uses 6.1, 7, 8 and 9 inch touchscreen displays.

1. “Panda Black” OGS 3.0 – The Best Seamless Solution

Fig.2 Panda Black OGS

Fig. 3 GG vs OGS

GG Advantages:

• • • easy to make special shape like drill hole etc.;
    • can customize different color with ink printing.

OGS Pros & Cons:

• • • Simple stack-up;
    • Save cost for Lens and OCA;
    • Thinner & lighter;
    • Zero gap make Border more invisible.

Fig. 4 Panda Black Appearance

• • With multilayer index matching, “Panda black” is defined as lower reflectance, smaller color difference (ΔE between BM and AA), and higher blackness, It’s the best seamless solution.
  • “Panda Black” includes a set of optimization of OGS touch screen, TFT display, OCR optical bonding, and anti-reflection film or surface treatment, etc.

Fig. 5 Full Spectrum Reflectivity of BM and AA Area

Both BM and AA area can be lower than 1.7%, and AA area can be lower to 1.45%.

Fig. 6 Reflectivity and Delta E of Different Generations OGS

• • Each generation of OGS optical bonding unit, we keep improving the performance of reflectivity and ΔE, in order to achieve the lower reflection and better seamless effect.
  • Now OGS 3.0 “Panda Black” touch and display optical bonding unit with AR surface, not only reflectivity can be lower than 1.7%, but also ΔE can be lower than 1.7 (Both 1.7).

2. “Panda Black” Cluster Lens – The Best Seamless Solution

While “Panda Black” cluster lens optical bonding with TFT display, seamless black across the display area and cover lens border, show the best decorative effect and elegant looks.

• • New technology instead of ink printing;
  • Seamless black between VA and BM:

△E<1 without AR film

△E<2 with AR film

• • Surface AGAR treatment is optional;
  • Size: Max 3rd generation(550*650mm).

Fig. 7 “Panda Black” cluster lens vs Ordinary cover lens

3. “Pilatus” Automotive Touch Screen – Bridge and ITO Invisible Technology

Features:

• • No Bridge design, no any bridge reflection under strong light;
  • New index matching design, no any ITO gaps reflection under strong light;
  • More durable on sunlight simulation, DIN75220;
  • Smoother and more reliable connection between internal ITO;

Fig. 8 Pilatus Automotive Touch Screen

• • Under strong sunlight, Bridge cause some reflection issue, and ITO gaps is obviously also. “Pilatus” automotive touch screen is designed to reduce this reflection;
  • The new index matching design reduce the reflectance difference between ITO pattern and gaps;
  • Without bridge design, there is no bridge shining issue even under strong light.

4. Curve Flexible Touch – Next Generation Automotive Touch

High performance automotive Flexible touch screen.

High reliability production process and innovative technique:

• Coating process for Polyimide film substrate;
• Enhanced ion source surface treatment process;
• Innovative ITO sputtering coating technology;
• Line spacing as small as 15 microns;

Characteristics:

• High light transmission;
• Low resistance:20ohms; 
• Bending resistance;
• High reliability;
• Wide temperature (-40 to 95^oC);
• UV light resistance;
• Ultra-low optical delay (no interference fringe);
• More than 100,000 times of bending resistance.

Fig.9 Curve Flexible Touch