Tatsuru Daimon

A cognitive study of in-vehicle navigation systems: Applying verbal protocol analysis to usability evaluation

The drivers cognitive process when using an in-vehicle navigation system (IVNS) is investigated by means of verbal protocol analysis. Field experiments and laboratory experiments are employed. A concept of cognitive maps is used as the framework of the analysis. In the first stage, assuming that a person who is familiar with an area is the best navigator, communication between a driver and a navigator is observed. Three prototype IVNSs are designed, and comparative studies are conducted. The results indicate important factors in the design of the user-friendly interface of IVNS.

Driver Characteristics and Workload according to Changing Driving Environment and Types of Steering Wheel

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the driving performance and workload according to changing driving environment and types of steering wheel. Twelve drivers who participated in this study consisted of two groups; six Japanese as the left-lane drivers who was accustomed to driving on left-hand side of the road, and six Europeans, Americans, and Korean as the right-lane drivers who was accustomed to driving on right-hand side of the road. They were asked to operate a driving simulator while using two different types of steering wheel (for the left-hand side driving and the right-hand side driving). During the experiment, a range of data were measured including driving performance, mental workload, and eye movements which were recorded in order to identify the amount of time looking towards the in-vehicle route guidance. Results indicated that the use of the steering wheel by parallel moving led to increase high attentional demand and worse glance behavior to traffic signs for the left-lane drivers. In the case of the right-lane drivers, the effects by changing driving direction were more effective than the types of steering wheel due to their habit or traits.

Driver's characteristics for map information representation (North up map/heading up map) in navigation displays

Driver characteristics for two kinds of map information representation (North-up map and Heading-up map) of in-vehicle navigation system (IVNS) are investigated. Field experiments and laboratory experiments are both conducted. The drivers behavior is investigated by eye movement and subjective evaluation. The results imply that the drivers visiblity is influenced by the cognitive characteristics of the driver, and that the map representation should adapt to the drivers spatial orientation.

Driver's Characteristics And Performances When Using In-vehicle Navigation System

This paper describes driver characteristics and performances when using an in-vehicle information and navigation system in experiments through simulator and field experiments. Results imply that the navigation system decreased the workload of route selection in comparison with the paper map.

Effects of display arrangement for multiple-warning environment of in-vehicle information systems on driving performance

In order to provide several information to a driver appropriately, it is necessary to establish a method of presenting information. This study deals with the case that both headway warning information and blind-spot warning information are displayed to the drivers simultaneously. The aim of this study is to clarify whether it is effective for a driver to arrange the location of displays spatially. In this experiment, a driving simulator was utilized and it was investigated how the drivers behavior, eye movement and subjective rating were influenced by the types of display arrangement. The results showed that drivers could understand such warning information easily based on a certain display arrangement, although it was observed that the effect of the display arrangement was dependent on the direction of lane change.

Information content of a route guidance system based on the characteristics of elderly drivers

Landmarks and clues outside the car that elderly drivers can easily recognize from inside the car and on a car navigation system during route navigation were extracted. In a laboratory survey, we measured the degree of awareness of logos by type of business. We then conducted a driving simulator experiment to verify the response rate, reaction distance, and line of sight direction according to the business type and store, vehicle location, shop location, and presence/absence of signboards that had good results in the laboratory survey set as variables. Results show that a vehicle navigation system should ideally use clue information outside the car that drivers can view without largely averting their eyes from the front; use clue information that is presented at a large visual angle; and use clue information that is conspicuous in color and shape and known by the elderly driver.

Improvements in Simulated Quenching Method for Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows by Using Search History and Devising Means for Reducing the Number of Vehicles

© 2012 Kokubugata et al., licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Improvements in Simulated Quenching Method for Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows by Using Search History and Devising Means for Reducing the Number of Vehicles

Influence of brightness and traffic flow on driver's eye-fixation-related potentials

This paper investigates the influence of environmental factors and driver distraction on the eye-fixation-related potential (EFRP) of drivers. Brightness and traffic conditions were set up as environmental factors in experiments using a motion-based driving simulator, and several cognitive tasks were given simultaneously to the participants while they simulated driving. The results of this experiment show that brightness and traffic flow do not affect the EFRP. This shows that EFRP is a stable index of driver distraction.

Fundamental Research on Developing Additional Information System by Connecting Route Guidance Information with Turn Signal Operation

ABSTRACT A car navigation system as an in-vehicle route guidance information (RGI) offers a state-of-the-art technological solution to driver navigation in an unfamiliar area. However, the RGI is provided by some pre-determined options in terms of the interface between a driver and a car navigation system. Drivers occasionally pass the target intersection owing to non- or late- recognizing it. This paper is examined the position of drivers turn signal operation and intersection recognition approaching at the target intersection which is difficult to identify, as a fundamental research on developing the additional RGI connecting with the turn signal control. The field experiment was conducted to measure distances of the turn signal operation and the intersection recognition from the target intersection according to left turns, right turns, and landmarks at adjacent intersection. And glance behavior to the car navigation display was evaluated by using an eye camera. The results of the field study indicate that, most case of driving, drivers operate the turn signal until 40m to 50m before coming to the target intersection. The driving simulator experiment was performed to examine the effectiveness of providing the additional RGI when drivers did not operate the turn signal approaching at the target intersection based on the results of the field study . To provide the additional RGI is effective for the intersection identification and recognition, and expected to improve the traffic safety and the comfort for drivers. Keyword: Car Navigation, Driving Assistant System, Route Guidance, Turn Signal Operation

Evaluation of VII system using vision sensors in expressway by driving simulator

This paper describes the evaluation of driver assistance system by a driving simulator that authors have developed that provides information on congestion to the driver in the expressway. In the evaluation, driver behavior measurement and subjective assessment by the questionnaire are done, when the system correctly offers drivers warning of congestion (true warning), and when the warning cannot be offered (lack of warning). As a result of these evaluations, the influence that both the true warning by the system and lack of warning by the system give to the driver behavior is clarified.