Evaluation of driver's discomfort and postural change using dynamic body pressure distribution

Abstract

The main objective of this study is the application of body pressure distribution measurements for the prediction of the driver's posture and its change. This requires quantitative analyses of dynamic body pressure distribution, which is the change of body pressure distribution with time. To investigate the relationship between dynamic body pressure data with driver's posture, 16 male subjects performed a simulated driving task for 45 min in a seating buck. During driving, the body posture and body-seat interface pressure were measured continuously, and the discomfort ratings were surveyed at the prescribed interval. For the statistical analyses, driving period, stature group, and lumbar support prominence were selected as independent variables, whereas subjective ratings of driver discomfort, driving posture, and body pressure values were selected as dependent variables. In this study, newly defined dynamic body pressure distribution variables were proposed, and the relationship between these pressure variables with subjective discomfort ratings were analyzed. The close correlations between the body pressure change variables and subjective discomfort ratings supported the possibility of using dynamic pressure data as a tool for the assessment of driver discomfort. Relevance to industry Since dynamic body pressure distribution data provide quantitative and objective indices in measuring driver's postural changes and discomfort while driving, the proposed method can be used for more effective automobile seat design and its evaluation.