Visual attention influenced condition indicia apparatus and method

摘要

A vehicle (30), such as an automobile, has an indicia controller (31) that can determine, via one or more direction-of-visual-attention sensors (32) a likely direction of visual attention for a given occupant of the vehicle such as, for example, the driver or another passenger. When a predetermined condition is sensed by one or more condition sensors (34, 35) (such as, for example, a predetermined hazard or other unsafe operating condition), the indicia controller can determine whether the monitored person is likely looking in a direction that likely includes the condition of concern. A particular condition indicia (36) as corresponds to the detected condition can then be provided as a function, at least in part, of whether the driver or other monitored person is already likely looking at, and is hence aware of, the detecting condition.