Windshield Saliency Modifier for Driver Attention Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drivers often inadvertently look away from critical visual targets while driving due to high visual saliency features in the environment, such as advertisements or street lamps, leading to distraction and reduced attention to important road conditions.
Innovation Solution
A device that modifies visual saliency in the peripheral range of vision using a saliency modifier, controlled by a controller to increase saliency in specific areas, guiding the driver's attention to relevant targets through increased luminance, color, or motion differences, and includes detectors to assess gaze direction and visual targets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the windshield provides a wide range of vision, then the driver can observe more road conditions, but the driver's eyes are easily directed away from critical visual targets toward high visual saliency features
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by modifying visual saliency in specific peripheral regions of the windshield while maintaining the overall wide field of vision. The saliency modifier selectively enhances or suppresses visual features in predetermined peripheral areas, allowing different regions of the windshield to have different visual properties. This enables the driver to maintain attention on critical targets while still benefiting from the extended range of vision provided by the large windshield area.
2Ease of operation
If visual saliency is increased in peripheral areas to guide driver attention, then the driver's eyes are guided toward desired directions, but this may cause visual discomfort or irritation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements partial action by selectively modifying visual saliency only in predetermined peripheral areas rather than uniformly across the entire windshield. The saliency modifier applies enhancement or suppression only where needed to guide attention toward or away from specific regions, avoiding excessive visual modification that would cause driver discomfort. This partial modification approach maintains natural visual perception in most areas while providing subtle guidance where required.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts visual saliency in peripheral areas based on detected gaze direction and identified visual targets. The saliency modifier continuously adapts its operation, enhancing or suppressing visual features in real-time according to the driver's attention state and the specific driving situation. This dynamic adjustment ensures smooth, natural-looking visual guidance that adapts to changing conditions without causing abrupt or uncomfortable visual changes.
3Loss of information
If the driver looks at high visual saliency features in the environment, then the driver notices conspicuous visual features, but the driver looks away from critical visual targets requiring attention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of high visual saliency features (advertisements, street lamps, etc.) that distract the driver into a beneficial attention-guiding mechanism. By detecting these high-saliency features and strategically modifying their visual prominence in peripheral areas, the system uses the same visual properties that cause distraction to instead guide the driver's attention toward critical road conditions and away from distracting elements. The saliency modifier transforms potentially harmful visual features into useful attentional cues.
Data Source
AI summary
An edge of, for example, a windshield which serves as range of vision is defined by front pillars, a roof, and a dashboard. A modification area is provided at a peripheral portion of the windshield. In the modification area, visual saliency (visual conspicuousness) can be partially increased by means of, e.g., liquid crystals.