head-up display

head-up display

[′hed ‚əp di′splā]

(optics)

A device that enables an aircraft pilot to view the instrument panel while looking out the cockpit window, by projecting an image of the panel in the direction of the window and forming the image at infinity.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

head-up display (HUD)

A display of flight, navigation, attack, or other information superimposed upon the pilot's forward field of view. Most HUDs permit the display of selective information for various modes of operation of the aircraft. For example, on takeoff, all flight parameters required by the pilot for takeoff will be displayed; the information displayed during navigation, attack, and landing will be different.

An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

heads-up display

A display technology that superimposes images onto the inside of the windshield to enable drivers to view the information while keeping their eyes on the road. Heads-up displays (HUDs) are also used in goggles and helmets.

Initially used in military aircraft to display avionics and instrument readings as well as gunsights in front of the pilot, heads-up displays migrated to commercial aircraft and later to automobiles. Passenger car systems display vehicle speed and objects detected in a collision avoidance system, such as a deer crossing the road ahead.

Heads-Up vs. Head-Mounted
The terms heads-up display and head-mounted display are often used synonymously. Technically, however, heads-up means that the display is transparent, and the viewer can see through it. See head-mounted display and automotive systems.

Science Fiction Is Here

Google Glass placed many smartphone functions in a heads-up display (see Google Glass). (Image courtesy of Google Inc.)

Automobile Heads-Up Using Your Smartphone

Several heads-up products provide GPS and other information from their app in a smartphone. In this HUDWAY Glass example, the phone lies on a rubberized base, and the app inverts the image to reflect in the transparent screen. (Image courtesy of HUDWAY, LLC, www.hudwayglass.com)

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