Influence of Seat Vibration Frequency on Total Annoyance and Interaction Effects Caused by Simultaneous Noise and Seat Vibrations in Commercial Vehicles

Abstract

In vehicles, noise and seat vibrations can be perceived by the driver, depending on their signal properties, as annoying or unpleasant. Because perception is a complex process, it is necessary to consider both types of stimuli at the same time to assess annoyance in such situations. A perception experiment was carried out to investigate the interaction between simultaneous noise and seat vibrations, as well as the influence of seat vibration frequency in vehicle situations. For the experiment, acoustic and optical stimuli such as seat vibrations were recorded in a mini excavator and a refuse collection vehicle from the view of the driver. The recordings were prepared for plausible reproduction in a laboratory experiment. The participants of the experiment were presented with two different vehicle scenes with simultaneous noise, seat vibrations and visuals. The average total levels of vibration and noise, as well as the vibration frequency ranges of the various vehicle scenes, were varied. The results suggest that an interaction effect between noise and vibration should be accounted for when assessing total annoyance in such situations. Models for the prediction of the relative total annoyance causes of variations in noise and vibration levels were developed.