A Driving Simulation Study on Visual Cue Presented in the Peripheral Visual Field for Prompting Driver’s Attention

This paper proposes a method for prompting drivers’ spatial attention by presenting visual cue in their peripheral visual field. Computer-generated images of forward-facing driving scenes were projected on a screen 6 m wide and 1.8 m high, with a 140° viewing angle. The gaze movement of subjects was measured when hazardous events were presented, such as cardboard boxes collapsing onto the road or a child running out into the road. The task defined for the subjects was to detect visual cue presented in their central visual field while observing the driving scene in front of them. A preceding visual cue was presented in the right and left visual fields, at a visual angle of 10° to 40°, for 1–5 s in advance of the visual cue presented in the center of the visual field. The detection time for the visual cue in the central visual field was then measured. The results of the experiments conducted with six subjects revealed two types of gaze movement patterns with respect to a hazardous event. In one type, the subjects broadly captured the overall scene without shifting their gaze markedly; in the other type, the subjects sequentially scanned the scene and fixed their gaze on the hazardous event when it occurred. The former type tended to be seen in subjects with long driving experience. It was also found that presenting visual cue in the peripheral visual field quickened recognition of the visual cue in the central visual field. By varying the viewing angle at which the preceding cue was presented in the peripheral visual field and the time interval between the presentation of the preceding cue and the detection cue in the central visual field, conditions were found for assisting prompt detection of the latter visual cue.

Visual Cue in the Peripheral Vision Field for a Driving Support System

This paper deals with the possibility of a new warning method for controlling drivers’ sensitivity for recognizing hazardous factors in the driving environment. The method is based on a visual warning cue in the peripheral vision, which is outside of the central vision. In the human visual field, the central and peripheral vision fields have different processing mechanisms. In this study, the presentation of visual cues in the peripheral vision field is intended to provide a soft visual warning without intrusive interference to the task performed in the central vision. The results of many experiments performed with a 27-in. monitor display showed that a blinking visual cue at a view angle of around 26° from the center provided a good visual stimulus in the peripheral vision without being overlooked or being annoying to the subjects. The subjects tended to perceive the visual stimulus in the peripheral vision field beginning at 60°. A visual cue moving from the outer vision field to the center vision was perceived at around 60° regardless of its speed. A preliminary design guideline for installing visual warnings in the peripheral vision field is proposed.

A Study on Guiding an Attention Direction of a Driver by an Ambient Visual Mark

This paper examines the possibility of a new warning method that would increase drivers’ sensitivity to hazardous factors in the driving environment. The method is based on a visual warning mark in the peripheral vision, called an ambient warning. In this study, the use of ambient visual marks is investigated. These marks are soft visual warnings and lack officious interference with the task performed in the central vision field. Experimentation with a 27-inch monitor display resulted in decreased response times for detecting a flashing mark when an ambient mark was shown in advance. The results suggest that information observed in the peripheral vision field could help people drive more safely.