GM envisions a future where the entire windshield will be a display

A newly emerged patent application from General Motors presents the automaker's vision to turn the entire windshield into an augmented reality display.

The head-up display already projects speed readings and other things into the driver's field of view, but this patent application, filed by GM in 2022 and then published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) at 4.30 AM, details something more elaborate.

Augmented reality includes a variety of images that can be projected in the style of a head-up display, to give drivers greater environmental awareness, GM says in the application. However, according to the automaker, current hardware has a rather narrow field of view range, making it difficult to display things in the driver's peripheral field of view.

The wider view may have some potential benefits, GM argues. It can be used to alert the driver to an animal crossing the road, for example, before it's directly in front of the vehicle. GM also points out in the application that expanding the field of view could allow head-up displays to be used in "primary devices" that are not possible with the narrow field of view that current head-up displays offer.

To address this problem, GM proposes to use 2 image projectors, each aimed at different parts of the windshield. Images from the two projectors blend together to create a continuous display from one end of the windshield to the other. GM is not the only automaker thinking along these lines.

We have not seen the corresponding patent application, but Nissan design boss Alfonso Albaisa in a recent interview with Motor Authority Toyota showed the concept of augmented reality "window to the world" in 2011, the recent concept cars of Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen will be similar displays, eventually "the windshield will be your screen". It features a wide range of high-quality products and services to meet the needs of your business. Apple also investigated the augmented reality windshield before canceling the EV project.

While none of the above companies have announced anything for production, BMW said the upcoming Neue Klasse generation of EVs will feature displays spanning the windscreen