Abstract
Driving at night is demanding; requiring high levels of driver alertness, high visual adaptability, fast response times and high cognitive demands. The driver workload is increased as a result of these factors which contribute to fatigue, stress and general driving discomfort. A vision enhancement system is proposed to aid night driving, addressing these main issues with the aim of increasing road safety at night.
The proposed system shall provide the driver with additional information about their environment without contributing further to their workload. The information shall be presented in an easily interpretable form, and utilised by the driver to increase their situational awareness, and compensate for the low scene visibility.
System architecture is selected after first assessing the information requirements of the driver. Options available for human-machine interface (HMI) are discussed and prioritised in terms of human factors. Conclusions are then made regarding the optimum system configuration with respect to the type of information to be delivered and the current technology available.
A fully conformal, NIR imaging system is selected, and initial system testing is summarized. The test subjects demonstrate significant improvement in depth perception and visual range when using the system, and report "feeling safer" when the system is activated.