摘要: |
The purpose of warning sounds is to alert a driver of potential roadway hazards detected by an in-vehicle crash avoidance warning device. This study investigated acoustical localization of the warning sound as a means of indicating hazard location. The research focused on several factors: speed and accuracy of responses, the effects on performance of sound type, speaker location, and using speaker pairs to provide directional cues. The study involved subjects responding to alarms of various types and from various locations within a Ford Taurus while they performed an auxiliary task. Under the conditions of this experiment, subjects were able to localize the direction of a warning signal with reasonable speed and accuracy. This indicates that directional acoustic cues have the potential to speed driver response to hazards. However, there was meaningful variation among alternative warning sounds and speaker locations. Auditory warnings should not be viewed as generally adequate for localized warnings without consideration of the signal and source. The better-performing sound/speaker combinations of this study led to broadly correct, though imprecise, orientation, with relatively few perceptual reversals. Performance appears promising, though generalizability of the implications is reserved until validation and additional vehicle types and environmental conditions can be confirmed. |