Accelerated Augmented Reality Holographic 4K Video Projections Based on LiDAR Point Clouds for Automotive Head-Up Displays

Abstract

Identifying road obstacles hidden from the driver’s field of view can ensure road safety in transportation. Current driver assistance systems such as 2D head-up displays are limited to the projection area on the windshield of the car. An augmented reality holographic point cloud video projection system was developed to display objects aligned with real-life objects in size and distance within the driver’s field of view. LiDAR point cloud data collected with a 3D laser scanner was transformed into layered 3D replay field objects consisting of 400 k points. GPU-accelerated computing generated real-time holograms 16.6 times faster than the CPU processing time. The holographic projections were obtained with a Spatial Light Modulator (SLM) (3840×2160 px) and virtual Fresnel lenses, which enlarged the driver’s eye box to 25 mm × 36 mm. Real-time scanned road obstacles from different perspectives provide the driver a full view of risk factors such as generated depth in 3D mode and the ability to project any scanned object from different angles in 360°. The 3D holographic projection technology allows for maintaining the driver’s focus on the road instead of the windshield and enables assistance by projecting road obstacles hidden from the driver’s field of view.