A Experimental Study of the Cognitive Load of In-vehicle Multiscreen Connected HUD

The large variety of information that a driver must interpret while driving has caused an increasing number of screens to appear inside vehicles, making heads-up display (HUD) multiscreen interconnections more applicable inside cars. However, human cognitive resources are limited, and too much information can easily lead to distraction. Whether HUD multiscreen interconnections can effectively reduce driver distraction is still controversial. This study investigated the information and road conditions that drivers must be alerted. Based on the types of information and scenarios obtained from a study of users, a simulated driving experiment was used to measure drivers’ response times and cognitive loads when viewing driving-assistance information to complete a driving task. The study aimed to verify whether a HUD could help the driver respond more quickly and use fewer cognitive resources when driving-assistance information was shown separately from the central screen. Experimental results show that HUDs can effectively reduce a driver’s cognitive load compared having information displayed on only a central screen. Additionally, HUDs can improve a driver’s reaction time when displaying all types of driving assistance information. This study compared drivers’ reaction times and cognitive loads when using HUDs and central control screens that display the same and different types of information. We also analysed the distribution of information displayed between screens in a multiscreen car. Results show that when the type of content between the car screens is the same, there is no significant difference in the driver’s reaction time compared to the reaction time associated with the HUD alone. This study also provides ideas and suggestions for the future development of HUD-based multiscreen interconnections.