Study On The Impact Of Freeway Tunnel Environment On Drivers’ Physiology And Psychology

Due to the structure and special environment of the highway tunnel, there inevitably exists some problems such as low illumination, closed space, drab environment and so on. This special environment will inevitably influence on driver’s psychological and physiological, even on driving behavior. This paper is based on the real car experiment in the tunnel to explore the variation characteristics of driver’s physiological and psychological indexes in the tunnel dynamic environment, such as visual function and heart rate. By the quantitative method to study on the impact of freeway tunnel environment on driver’s physiological and psychological, it could provide important theory basis for person’s information cognition in the special environment, highway tunnel design, safe operation and management.Based on the domestic and overseas research results of the tunnel safety operation, physiological and psychological performance, combining with the actual situation in our country, choose the long tunnel, super long tunnel and short tunnel as experiment objects, use Eye Link Ⅱ(a equipment records the dynamic eye movement)and KF2(a equipment records human physiological parameters) to monitor and record the variation of driver’s eye movement and physiological indexes in real time, analyze the variation of driver’s physiological and psychological parameters and the characteristics of manipulate behavior in the sections of tunnel entrance, driving period and tunnel exit.In the entrance sections of the long tunnel and super long tunnel, the driver’s average fixation time increases, the number of fixations is on the decline, and with the gradually winding down to the tunnel entrance saccade amplitude decrease simultaneously, eyes are more concerned the information of the entrance and surrounding smaller range. And the lever of respiratory rate before the entrance is significantly lower than the after. Before driving into a tunnel, the driver will reduce the speed so that the vehicle would be into the tunnel with a relatively low speed, then when the driver adapts the tunnel environment, the vehicle accelerated.In the driving period of the long tunnel and super long tunnel, fixation is mainly long time, the average number of fixations is on the decline, and saccade amplitude increases simultaneously, saccade velocity changes in differences. The pupil area is keeping in higher values with some amplitude of difference fluctuations. The fluctuation range of driver’s heart rate increment is small, it is tend to stable in low lever after entrance section, and it is rebounded slightly or apparent fluctuations with the vehicle is close to the exit in the tunnel. The vehicle drives mainly nearby the limit speed value, and the speed is generally stable.In the exit sections of the long tunnel and super long tunnel, the driver’s fixation time gradually reduces, and it varies smoothly out the tunnel. The number of fixations increases, and its value out the tunnel is greater than that in the tunnel. Driver’s heart rate increment fluctuates in small range in tunnel exit section and presents obvious rising trend, the peak value generally appears outside. The change of the respiratory rate shows a consistent "ladder rising" trend, this rising process appears in the exit section till outside. When a driver discovers the exit, he will raise the vehicle speed and has a desire to leave the tunnel environment as soon as possible.Because of the length of the short tunnel, we can see the exit in the tunnel entrance, if the illumination of the internal environment is also higher, the visual features, psychological and physiological parameters of the drivers, and the speed change a little, they are broadly similar with the other sections of the highway. However, the driver’s saccade time changes like the "V-shape", it is that the fixation duration decreases after entering enter the tunnel, then increase after getting through it, the fixation time in the tunnel is generally lower than outside.The research shows that the lighting landscape zones installed in the super-long tunnel have significant effect on the drivers’visual function, the fixation duration decreases, the number of fixations and saccade amplitude increases simultaneously with the constantly close to the lighting landscape zones; when exiting the lighting landscape zones with a certain distance, fixation duration continue to increase, the number of fixations decrease at first and then it increase, with the distance extended, the number of fixations decrease gradually; After entering the landscape zone a certain distance, the saccade amplitude begins to decrease, and increases after driving out the landscape...