The wave of display

Under the catalysis of the superposition of multiple concepts of the metaverse and autonomous driving, "smart cockpit" has become a hot topic in the automotive industry in 2022, and the popularity has not diminished since this year. In the smart cockpit ecology, HUD (Head-up Display), as one of the most important human-computer interaction information display windows, is accelerating its mass production into cars.

According to Eou Think Tank, HUD will be in 2022 The market size will reach 9.05 billion yuan and continue to maintain rapid growth, and is expected to reach 31.74 billion yuan in 2025.

Wang Yongjing, founder and chief scientific officer of Shenzhen Photonic Crystal Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Photonic Crystal Technology"), also observed the popularity of transparent displays in the automotive market. As a provider of transparent high-definition display and AR display core components and complete solutions, "Photonic Crystal Technology" will further focus on the AR-HUD field after officially winning the bid for the "Smart Cockpit Transparent Display" project of a well-known new energy vehicle manufacturer.

As early as 2015 In 2000, transparent display technology began to be used in automobiles. After many years of development, transparent display is still in the technological climbing stage. Wang Yongjing believes that what transparent display technology essentially solves is "Transparency and "display" are a contradiction in physics.

Both "transparent" and "high definition"

At present, the mainstream transparent display products on the market are difficult to balance "transparency" and "high-definition display": if the screen transparency is high, the brightness and resolution of the image will be limited, and it will bring highCost; to ensure the brightness and resolution of the display, only brown glass with low transparency can be used.

Transparent display seems to be a "breaking of the laws of physics" It is a difficult task, and "Photonic Crystal Technology" proposes a new material screen-photonic chip transparent screen through its independently developed nanoAR photonic transparent chip technology to solve the above problems.

From a performance perspective, compared with traditional optical materials, the new photonic micro-nano materials used in nanoAR can utilize the different spatial coherence of different lights to achieve selective control of natural light and projector light. While presenting a higher-definition and higher-brightness display effect, "almost all natural light can pass through", making the scene behind the screen clearly visible, achieving a high degree of integration between virtual imaging and real scenes, and achieving the effect of augmented reality.

(nanoAR optical path diagram)

nanoAR product body is a flexible plastic film with a complex micro-nano structure. In use, it can be hung directly to act as an electronic screen, or it can be attached to any transparent medium, including curly or polygonal surfaces. It is not limited to square screens or media, and is more flexible than traditional transparent display screens.

Attack towards "cost reduction" and "popularization"

Currently, a major problem that hinders the large-scale application and popularization of transparent display products is high pricing. For example, a 55-inch OLED see-through TV sells for up to 50,000 yuan, while an ordinary TV of the same brand and size only costs 1/10.

Behind the high pricing is the high material cost. Wang Yongjing introduced that in order to reduce the cost of holographic materials, "Photonic Crystal Technology" designed a three-dimensional micro-nano holographic structure. After a four-year research and development period, it refined the production process and achieved mass production with a low-cost "roll-to-roll" preparation method, so that it can also be used in large-area demand scenarios such as museums, exhibition halls, and stages.

On April 17th At the "2023 BMW Imagine Future Night" press conference, "Photonic Crystal Technology" used a 220-square-meter ultra-large photonic chip transparent screen to transform the conference site into a super-large ring-shaped future cockpit.

Facing the emerging market of automotive transparent high-definition displays, "Photonic Crystal Technology" launches "Smart Cockpit Transparent Display" The solution is to turn sunroofs, side windows, partitions, etc. into transparent large-screen displays, and cooperate with OEMs, Tier-1 (first-tier automotive suppliers), etc. At present, this product has passed the Tier-1 vehicle regulation test and has been designated for many front-loading vehicles. "Photonic Crystal Technology" has also developed an AR-HUD system with a large field of view and a small size, and has officially entered the AR-HUD market. It is currently working with multiple OEMs on POC and fixed-point designs.

In addition to the automotive market, "Photonic Crystal Technology" has launched a photonic chip transparent display, which is used in commercial displays, restaurants and bars, etc.; in addition, the company independently develops non-transparent, high-fidelity 3D screens that assist 3D imaging to improve the audience's adverse reactions such as dizziness due to screen scattering during the movie viewing process.

Release the value of every piece of transparent media

According to reports, the three fastest growing businesses of "Photonic Crystal Technology" are advertising new media (glass curtain walls, large commercial spaces, subway screen doors, etc.), commercial displays (exhibition halls, museums, stage choreography, etc.) and cinema 3D screens. The order demand for a single scene is tens of millions of yuan, with a total of nearly 100 million yuan.

Wang Yongjing concluded that the company currently uses "two-wheel drive" Its business model is to quickly occupy the transparent display market with the help of dealers and agents; on the other hand, it is to focus on the automotive field.

Under the trend of vehicle electrification and intelligence, domestic automakers have frequently made efforts in smart cockpits in order to pursue differentiation. "Photonic Crystal Technology" will keep up with market trends and customer needs, with the help of self-developed smart cockpit transparent displays and AR-HUD products are rapidly expanding the market to better meet the entertainment, communication, business and other needs of drivers and passengers, turning smart cars into a third space.

In Wang Yongjing's view, transparent high-definition displays are not aimed at replacing display screens such as flat-panel TVs, but are more transparent to meet the needs of smart cars, commercial buildings, shopping malls and other scenarios.Meet the demand for high-definition display and release the value of every piece of transparent media.

" in 2016 When we started our business in 2007, people didn't fully understand it. But after four or five years of development, the entire market has realized the huge value of transparent high-definition displays, and interested car manufacturers have taken the initiative to find us. I think the application layer will usher in rapid development in the next 3-7 years. "

In 2019, "Photonic Crystal Technology" moved to Longhua District, Shenzhen. Wang Yongjing said that this was because Shenzhen has a complete industrial chain and strong support for enterprises. During this period, he fully realized the advantages of Longhua District's business environment, talent planning, and government efficiency.

In addition, the company is also constantly accelerating the pace of its own development in 2021 It completed the A+ round of financing in 2020 and was recently awarded the title of Shenzhen's 2022 "Specialized, Special and New" small and medium-sized enterprise. Wang Yongjing revealed that the latest round of financing is also in progress.