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This paper presents mathematical models of thermal interactions among an automobile passenger, the cabin environment, and a heated/ventilated seat. The model, which has the ability to predict the transient response of a driver in a highly non-uniform thermal environment, has been tested against subjective evaluations under simulated winter and summer driving conditions. The good agreement between model predictions and experimental measurements suggests that such a model can be a useful predictive tool in the design of a passenger thermal comfort system.

A thermal/physical model of the dynamic interaction between an automobile passenger, the cabin environment, and a heated/ventilated seat is presented. The model considers the human body as being made of 21 distinct segments and three-layers. Simple mathematical models are presented to simulate heating and ventilation of cool air through the seat. The model has the ability to predict the transient response of a driver in a highly non-uniform thermal environment in terms of local and overall thermal comfort levels.