Technical Session 5 Summaries
Please note: Some summaries have been edited for space and clarity. The conference proceedings will contain complete abstracts and papers.
(1) They Drive at Night - Can Visual Enhancement Systems Keep the Driver in Control? Erik Hollnagel, Johan Karlsson, Thomas Magnusson, Ulrika Taube (University of Linköping ; Sweden)
Driving requires a combination of open-loop and closed-loop control. The open-loop control is affected by the quality of visual input, and therefore constrained during driving at night. This study investigated the effects of a Visual Enhancement System (VES) during simulated night driving conditions. It was hypothesised that the VES would improve the driver’s control, hence the quality of driving. Forty subjects drove about 120 km on a simulated Swedish road with and without a VES. At the time of writing, the experiments had just been completed. Data analysis will focus on derived measures that correspond to the driver’s degree of control.
(2) Evaluation of Driving-Assistance Systems Based on Drivers' Workload Yuji Takada, Osamu Shimoyama (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd ; Japan)
This paper describes an experimental study in which advanced driving-assistance systems were evaluated using methods for estimating workload levels. The effects of such systems on drivers’ mental workload and driving performance were measured experimentally using the driving simulator. Six subjects were instructed to drive the simulator in a highway environment with and without Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and/or a collision-warning system (CWS). To assess the effectiveness of these systems, subjects were asked to calculate sums of single- or double-digit figures displayed. The results show that higher accuracy was obtained with ACC than without it. To estimate the subjects’ mental workload levels, electrocardiograms and respiration data were recorded during the sessions, and the RRI, heart rate variance and respiration frequency were calculated. The results indicate that the provision of the CWS and ACC reduced the subjects’ mental workload compared to when the driving-assistance systems were not present.
(3) The Relative Importance of Pictorial and Nonpictorial Distance Cues for Driver Vision Michael J. Flannagan, Michael Sivak, Julie K. Simpson, (University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute ; USA)
There is evidence that nonpictorial distance cues, including accommodation and binocular disparity, play at most a minor role in driving relative to pictorial cues, such as relative size and linear perspective. However, the possibility that nonpictorial cues play a nontrivial role in at least some driving situations is of interest because of current and proposed applications of camera-based displays in driving. Such applications include the use of video systems as replacements for rearview mirrors and to enhance forward vision at night. By their nature, camera-based displays selectively eliminate or distort nonpictorial distance cues. This paper reviews analytical and experimental approaches for determining the relative importance of pictorial and nonpictorial cues in driving, and discusses the implications for the use of camera-based displays, as well as nonplanar rearview mirrors.
(4) Preliminary Studies of Mono-Pulse Braking Haptic Displays for Rear-End Collision Warning Louis Tijerina (Ford Motor Company ; USA)
This paper summarizes two studies of mono-pulse braking for rear-end collision avoidance applications. The first study was a single-vehicle parameter-setting study without a lead vehicle that produced recommended pulse braking display duration and jerk rate. However, results also indicated that pulse braking display magnitude influenced the magnitude of driver braking behavior. A second study examined the impact of this driver interface concept both when a lead vehicle was braking to a stop and when the display came on even though the lead vehicle was not slowing down. The results indicated that in the first case drivers modulated their response according to the constraints of the situation rather than the magnitude of the haptic display. On approximately one-third of false positive trials, brief and mild inappropriate braking responses were recorded.
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