Instrument Clusters

Basic Description

The instrument cluster in a vehicle is generally located directly above the steering wheel and displays important vehicle operation information to the driver such as vehicle speed, fuel level and the status of various vehicular systems. This information is usually presented visually in the form of needle gauges, digital readouts and lighted symbols. The speedometer is usually the primary focus within the instrument cluster.

Most instrument clusters today consist of mainly of needle gauges driven by stepper motors. These gauges along with all of the warning lights and displays are built into a single instrument cluster module. A processor controls most of these gauges and uses input from a variety of systems to make decisions about what to display. Most instrument clusters today also have some sort of digital multi-display which can be changed by inputs from the driver to show different information about the vehicle and allow the driver to change various settings.

In the 1990s, SAAB began to offer a “black panel” feature (supposedly derived from their aerospace division) that allowed the driver to disable any unnecessary instrumentation, activating and deactivating gauges based on which information was deemed most important. This idea of adapting the information presented to the driver has evolved significantly—Visteon has developed a “Virtual Instrument Cluster” for the 2010 Range Rover and Jaguar XK, which both use a TFT display to present different sets of instrumentation and displays depending on the current driving conditions. Ford is using a similar LCD-based system on its 2010 hybrid line. Other companies, such as Delphi, have focused the customizability of their instrumentation on individuality instead of information—their systems offer user-definable color schemes and different startup and shutdown behaviors.

There is also a movement to improve driver safety when interacting with the instrument cluster. Several instrument cluster manufacturers have integrated heads-up display modules into the instrument cluster system that project the most vital information onto the windshield itself, allowing the driver to keep line of sight very close to the road ahead at all times. The freedom allowed through the new virtual clusters has also created opportunities for new safety systems—Delphi offers an “Exogenous Safety Warning System” That flashes the entire instrument display in the event of an emergency situation.

Future Instrument Clusters will most likely continue this trend of easy personalization and customizable information display. Several manufacturers are working to add portable device integration to the instrument cluster control, allowing cell phones and other portable devices to provide the driver with information through the instrument cluster. Side and rear view cameras may also be integrated into the display in the future, helping to eliminate blind spots and further improve driver safety.

Indicators commonly found in a passenger car instrument cluster

• Speedometer – indicates how fast the vehicle is moving
• Tachometer – indicates how fast the engine is turning
• Odometer – indicates how far the vehicle has traveled
• Fuel Gauge – indicates how much fuel is left in the vehicle
• Check engine light - indicates that a problem has occurred that requires maintenance
• Coolant temperature gauge – indicates the temperature of the engine coolant
• Gear Shift position – indicates which gear shift lever is in
• Seat Belt Warning – indicates if the driver and/or passengers have fastened their seat belts
• Oil pressure gauge – indicates the pressure of the engine oil
• Tire pressure monitoring system – indicates whether one or more tires has low pressure

Sensors

wheel speed sensor, engine speed sensor, engine temperature sensors, fuel-level

Actuators

Needle gauges (usually driven by stepper motors), digital displays (e.g. LCD, LED or plasma), lights

Data Communications

Generally CAN communications with engine control module.

Manufacturers

Bosch, Continental, Delphi, Denso, iWave Systems, Magneti Marelli, Microvision, S&T Daewoo, Visteon, Yazaki

For More Information

[1] Electronic Instrument Cluster, Wikipedia.

[2] Instrument Cluster,Freescale.

[3] QNX Digital Instrument Cluster - Sneak Preview,Youtube video, 2008.

[4] Virtual Instrument Cluster Launches on 2010 Range Rover, Scientific Computing.

[5] More on Ford's SmartGauge cluster, Sam Abuelsamid, AutoblogGreen, Oct. 30, 2008.

[6] Insight instrument cluster, by Christine & Scott Gable, About.com.

[7] Heads Up Display, Wikipedia

[8] Ford SmartGauge LCD Instrument Panel Brings Futuristic Look, Green Leaves To 2010 Hybrids, Ben Wojdyla, Jalopnik.com, Oct. 29, 2008.

[9] Digital Instrument Clusters for Cars and Trucks, MachineDesign.com, April 21, 2009.