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Drivers’ physical and physiological states change with prolonged driving. Driving for extended periods of time can lead to an increased risk of low back pain and other musculoskeletal disorders, caused by the discomfort of the seats. Static and dynamic are the two main categories must be considered within the seating development. The posture and orientation of the occupant are the important factors on static comfort. Driving posture measurement is essential for the evaluation of a driver workspace and improved seat comfort design. This study evaluated the comfortable driving posture through physiological and ergonomics measurements of an automotive premium driver seat. The physiological evaluation includes electroencephalographic (EEG) for brain waves, Biopac’s AcqKnowledge program, and subjective measurements on 32 healthy individuals. JACK simulation was used for the ergonomics evaluation, i.e., the magnitude of the spinal loads about lumbar vertebrae was estimated.

Driving posture measurement is essential for the evaluation of a driver workspace and for improved seat comfort design. This study captures the comfortable driving postures for Koreans using a handheld portable Artec L™ 3D scanner. Subjects consisted of 20 healthy individuals (10 males and 10 females) ranging in age from 20 to 40 years and grouped as three weight groups (<59 kg, 60-79 kg and >80 kg). Eighteen land markers were attached (car seat: 9 markers; subject: 9 markers). From the 3D scanned data, the angles (neck, back, headrest, seat back, wrist, elbow, knee, and ankle) and distances (head to headrest, seat height, and seat back and forth) between the land markers were extracted in the Rapidform XOR software. The body pressure distribution was measured using two pressure mats from 17 body part regions. The measured pressure data were analyzed for average pressure, contact area, and body part pressure ratio.

Seating comfort is one of the most important indicators of the performance of automotive seats. The objective and subjective evaluation of seating comfort plays an important role in the development of seating systems. Objective methods are primarily based on evaluating the influence of vibrations on the driver's seat and assessing the seat pressure ratio. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the comfort of two car seats (sedan and compact) by comparing a subjective technique with an objective technique like body pressure ratio for a sample of 12 subjects. The results show that the pressure ratio for IT (ischial tuberosity) and L4/L5 were significantly greater for the seat of a compact car than the seat of a sedan car. The subjective comfort was significantly greater for the seat of the sedan car and females than the seat of the compact car and males, respectively.

Vibration is both a source of discomfort and a possible risk to human health. There have been numerous studies and knowledge exists regarding the vibrational behavior of vehicle seats on adult human occupants. Children are more and more becoming regular passengers in the vehicle. However, very little knowledge available regarding the vibrational behavior of child safety seats for children. Therefore, the objective of this study was to measure the vibrations in three different baby car seats and to compare these to the vibrations at the interface between the driver and the automobile seat. The test was performed on the National road at the average speed of 70 km/h and acceleration levels were recorded for about 350 Sec (5.83 min). One male driver considered as an adult occupant and a dummy having a mass of 9 kg was representing one year old baby. Four accelerometers were used to measure the vibration. All measured accelerations were relative to the vertical direction.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the relationship of driver's fatigue and driving postures in the actual automobile, and the type of accumulation of fatigue. The experiment was performed on actual automobile. Also the total distance of driving (about 250Km), total driving time (about 3 Hours), and driving speed (about 90Km/H) were fixed. Measurements of fatigue were based on the electromyography (EMG), flicker test, Kwansei-gakuin sleepiness scale (KSS), and so on. According to the results, lumbar had more discomfort than neck. Flicker values were decreased as time passed. And it was founded that closed posture was fatigued more easily than open posture. The results of this study can be effectively used to take a more comfortable driving posture. Also, it can be used to design comfortable automotive driving workstation, in particular, automotive design for Korean. Obtaining more data for better driving comfort is desirable because of individual characteristics.

The ride comfort in road vehicles and the drivers' fatigue are dependent on a complex combination of variables, including the vibration. In many study, ride comfort and driving fatigue are studied as an independent research area respectively. A subjective measures, as a general method, are used in evaluating them. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the factors affecting drivers' ride comfort and fatigue in a scientific and systematic manner in order to provide the drivers with more safely operated automobiles and to prevent the traffic accidents due to fatigue. An evaluating system for ride quality and fatigue in vehicle is constructed. This system consists of a 12 axis vibration measurement module, an electromyography(EMG) measurement module and an ultrasonic 3D motion analyzer. In this study, we investigated the overall ride value of seven types of vehicle so as to choose the two vehicles which have a good or bad ride quality.