Ergonomics in the Automotive Design Process

Head Clearnce

Envelope

Eyellipse

Maximum

Reach

Minimum

Reach

Driver’s Foot

on Accelerator

Seating

Reference Point

Rear Passenger

Foot

Driver’s Torso Back

Seat Track

Travel

Vision Lines

20 Deg.

Minimum

Horizontal

Field

Must see ground < 61m (200 ft)

SgRP

Sitting Height (10-11)

Eye Height (12-13)

Shoulder Height (14)

Knee Height (18)

Elbow Height (15)

Thigh

Height (12)

Buttock to

Popliteal (22)

Buttock to Knee (21)

Ergonomics & Human Factors

ERGONOMICS

in

the

Automotive

Design Process

Vivek D. Bhise

Bhise

Ergonomics in the Automotive

Design Process

Ergonomics in the Automotive

Design Process

K11963

ISBN: 978-1-4398-4210-2

9 781439 842102

9 0 0 0 0

The auto industry is facing tough competition and severe economic constraints.

Their products need to be designed “right the first time” with the right combinations

of features that not only satisfy the customers but continually please and delight

them by providing increased functionality, comfort, convenience, safety,

and craftsmanship. Based on the author’s over forty years of experience as a human

factors researcher, engineer, manager, and teacher who has conducted numerous

studies and analyses, Ergonomics in the Automotive Design Process covers

the entire range of ergonomics issues considered while designing a car or

truck and provides evaluation techniques to avoid costly mistakes and assure

high customer satisfaction.

The book begins with the definitions and goals of ergonomics, historic background,

and ergonomics approaches. It covers human characteristics, capabilities, and

limitations considered in vehicle design in key areas such as anthropometry, biome-

chanics, and human information processing. It then examines how the driver and the

occupants are positioned in the vehicle space and how package drawings and/or

computer-aided design models are created from key vehicle dimensions used in the

automobile industry. The author describes design tools used in the industry for occu-

pant packaging, driver vision, and applications of other psychophysical methods. He

covers important driver information processing concepts and models and driver

error categories to understand key considerations and principles used in designing

controls, displays, and their usages, including current issues related to driver

workload and driver distractions.

The author has included only the topics and materials that he found to be useful

in designing car and truck products and concentrated on the ergonomic issues

generally discussed in the automotive design studios and product development

teams. He distills the information needed to be a member of an automotive

product development team and create an ergonomically superior vehicle.