Assessment of the human body discomfort in the vehicle

Abstract

Driver comfort is one of the most important tasks of vehicle manufacturers. In the design stage and vehicle seat development, a posture of vehicle drivers is a critical factor that has to be considered carefully. Long-term driving can affect driver performance, especially in an inadequate posture. In this paper, different angles of the seat back are considered, with the aim of determining the optimal positions of the driver. Position while driving and resting condition, hands on the body, are also examined. Anthropometrics characteristics of the driver has significant role in vehicle design. The anthropometric data of male and female subjects of eleven populations were analyzed; 1% and 99% of the population were used. Software package Ramsis was used to perform posture analysis of “mannequin” in driving and resting condition. The obtained values of fatigue and discomfort, as body parts discomfort, were different for all kinds of subjects.