Car Seat Research Articles

Do Measures of Muscular Fitness Modify the Effect of Intra-abdominal Pressure on Pelvic Floor Support in Postpartum Women?

This study aimed to determine whether measures of muscular fitness modify the effect of intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) during lifting on pelvic floor support. Participants, primiparous women 1 year after vaginal delivery, underwent the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification examination, measurement of IAP via a vaginal sensor while lifting a weighted car seat, pelvic floor muscle force assessment using an instrumented speculum, grip strength using a hand dynamometer, and trunk flexor endurance by holding an isometric contraction while maintaining a 60-degree angle to the table. We dichotomized pelvic floor support as worse (greatest descent of the anterior, posterior, or apical vagina during maximal strain at or below the hymen) versus better (all points above the hymen). Of 825 participants eligible after delivery, 593 (71.9%) completed a 1-year study visit. Mean (SD) age was 29.6 (5.0) years. One year postpartum, 55 (9.3%) demonstrated worse support. There were no differences in IAP during lifting or in other measures of pelvic floor loading between women with better and worse support. In multivariable analyses, neither grip strength nor pelvic floor muscle force modified the effect of IAP on support. In women with trunk flexor endurance duration ≥13 minutes, the odds of worse support increased significantly as IAP increased. No fitness measure modified the effect of other measures of pelvic floor loading on support. Primiparous women with higher IAP during lifting and greater muscular fitness did not have reduced odds of worse pelvic floor support compared with those with lower IAP at the same muscular fitness.

Technical note: presence of gunshot residue in and around a police station.

Previous studies on the transference of gunshot residue (GSR) have shown that GSR can be transferred to surfaces through everyday activities and can persist on surfaces. Being that all police departments operate differently and have different spaces, GSR can be transferred and accumulates in different areas. Samples were collected from persons and surfaces in and around the Scranton Police Department and tested by scanning electron microscopy to identify GSR. Surfaces included police car seats, gun holsters, clothing around holsters, and belts around holsters. The results of the study showed that of the 25 samples collected, 40% contained at least one particle that was "characteristic of primer GSR", 64% contained at least one particle that was "consistent with primer GSR", and 92% contained at least one particle considered "commonly associated with primer GSR". This research characterizes where GSR is transferred within and around the police department. This data can be used to implement cleaning procedures or methods for decontamination. This study continues to strengthen the body of knowledge surrounding transferring of GSR.

Reducing child restraint misuse: national survey of awareness and use of inspection stations

Objective Research indicates that hands-on instruction on installation and use of child restraint systems (CRSs) is an effective method to reduce misuse. However, use of these services is low. The objective of the Awareness and Availability of Child Passenger Safety Information Resources (AACPSIR) Survey was to estimate the degree of awareness caregivers have of CRS inspection stations. The survey also evaluated the relationships among caregiver confidence and risk perceptions as well as potential barriers and facilitators to inspection station use. Methods The AACPSIR was a web-based cross-sectional survey targeting a nationally representative sample of adults who drove with children aged 0–9 at least twice a month. An address-based sample was selected using a cluster sample design. Caregivers who reported driving frequently with child passengers answered questions on awareness and use of inspection stations, confidence related to CRS use, and barriers and facilitators to inspection station use. Results Data were collected from 1,565 households. In all, 66.9% of respondents were aware of inspection stations, but only 44.2% reported that they had used these services. Most caregivers indicated that they were confident (91.7%) that the car seat was installed correctly. A quarter of the respondents indicated a reason that might prevent them from using an inspection station was that they “don’t think it’s necessary”. A long wait time (66.5%), distance (65.2%), and schedule conflicts (63.9%) were also frequently indicated as potential barriers. Conversely, among inspection station users, most did not need to make an appointment (73%), and over half indicated that the station was five miles or less from their home and within a 15-minute drive. Conclusions The AACPSIR Survey results suggest a segment of caregivers share a positive safety culture, including knowledge of CPS services and use of those services. Of concern are caregivers who did not access an inspection station because they indicated it was not necessary, they already knew how to install the CRS, or pointed to other inconveniences. Future intervention programs that target caregivers unfamiliar with inspection stations or believe that the services are not necessary have the potential to improve child passenger safety.

Determining Barriers and Facilitators to setting up a Car Seat Recycling Program

Determining Barriers and Facilitators to setting up a Car Seat Recycling Program

Relationship between Driver’s Dynamic Pressure Distribution with their Anthropometric Variables on Car Seat under PavedRoad

Relationship between Driver’s Dynamic Pressure Distribution with their Anthropometric Variables on Car Seat under PavedRoad

The Application of Quality Function Deployment in Car Seat Industry

The research aimed to ensure the right design of new products based on customer needs and to improve competitiveness based on renewal marketing strategies and customer needs in the car seat industry. Customer satisfaction ratings were used to compare with competitors. Then, the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) was implemented for the analysis. The research used total sampling or complete enumeration. So, the sample size was the same as the population size. Based on calculations using the QFD method, it shows that the seat option has the highest percentage of technical requirements in the car seat industry around 27,39%. The second factor is material about 25,94%, and the third factor is the damping characteristic about 19,17%. For continuous quality improvement in the future, a lot of customer needs regarding the seat car need to be developed.

Comparison of different interlining materials of car seat cover under repeated loadings

In this article, four most commonly used interlining materials (3D spacer fabric, non-woven felt, reticulated foam, and classic Poly-Urethane foam) are tested for comfort and durability. All four layers are tested initially for the air and moisture permeability, then for water vapour permeability under loading and finally tested for compressibility and durability. The repeated loading equivalent to real human pressure was inserted on the samples for 40,000 times to analyse the effect of repeated compression on the interlining materials. This research work gives a very in-depth knowledge of performance of car seat interlining material related to thermophysiological comfort and durability/lifetime.

Structure design of LFT passenger car seat structure based on topology optimisation

The newly revised GB 13057-2014 ‘The strength of the seats and their anchorages of passenger vehicles’ replaces the static test with a dynamic test, which puts forward higher requirements on seat safety. Considering safety and lightweight design, the LFT (Long glass Fiber reinforced Thermoplastic) is used to replace the original steel seat back frame. Combined with energy absorption model and topology optimisation, the force transmission path and detail structure design under both the forward loading and rearward loading conditions are carried out. In order to analyse the occupant protection performance, numerical models of composite seat and HybridIII dummy are established, and the safety and lightweight effect of LFT seat back frame are optimised and verified.

Predicting the emission characteristics of VOCs in a simulated vehicle cabin environment based on small-scale chamber tests: Parameter determination and validation

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from vehicle parts and interior materials can seriously affect in-cabin air quality. Prior studies mainly focused on indoor material emissions, while studies of emissions in-cabins were relatively scarce. The emission behaviors of VOCs from vehicle cabin materials can be characterized by three key emission parameters: the initial emittable concentration (C0), diffusion coefficient (Dm), and partition coefficient (K). Based on a C-history method, we have performed a series of tests with a 30 L small-scale chamber to determine these three key emission parameters for six VOCs, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde, from typical vehicle cabin materials, car roof upholstery, carpet, and seat. We found that acetaldehyde had the highest level in the gas-phase concentration and C0, which differs from residential indoor environments where formaldehyde is usually the most prevalent pollutant. The influence of temperature on the key emission parameters was also investigated. When the temperature rose from 25 °C to 65 °C, C0 increased by 40–640%, Dm increased by 40–170%, but K decreased by 38–71% for different material-VOC combinations. We then performed an independent validation to demonstrate the accuracy of the measured key emission parameters. Furthermore, considering that in reality, several materials coexist in vehicle cabins, we made a first attempt at applying a multi-source model to predict VOC emission behaviors in a simulated 3 m3 vehicle cabin, using the key emission parameters obtained from the small-scale chamber tests. The good agreement between the predictions and experiments (R2 = 0.82–0.99) demonstrated that the three key emission parameters measured via chamber tests can be scaled to estimate emission scenarios in realistic vehicle cabin environments. A pollution contribution analysis for the tested materials indicated that the car seat could significantly contribute to the total emissions.

Child passenger safety education in the emergency department: teen driving, car seats, booster seats, and more

BackgroundThe leading cause of death in children less than 19 years old is motor vehicle crashes (MVC). Non-use or improper use of motor vehicle car seats significantly adds to the morbidity and mortality. Emergency department (ED) encounters provide an opportunity for caregiver education. Our objective was to determine the effect of an educational intervention on knowledge and counseling behaviors of pediatric ED nurses regarding child passenger safety (CPS).MethodsA pre/post educational intervention study was conducted with nursing staff in an urban ED. Responses to CPS related knowledge and counseling behaviors were collected using surveys administered before and after the intervention. The ED nurse education intervention was a one-hour lecture based on the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) CPS guidelines and Alabama state law regarding ages for each car seat type and teen driving risky behaviors. Individual data from pre and post surveys were matched, and nominal variables in pre-post matched pairs were analyzed using McNemar’s test. To compare categorical variables within pre or post test data, we used the Chi-square test.ResultsPretests were administered to 83/110 ED nurses; 64 nurses received the educational intervention and posttest. On the pretests, nurses reported “never” or “occasionally” counseling about CPS for the following: 56% car seats, 62% booster seat, 56% teen driving, 32% seat belts. When comparing the pretest CPS knowledge between nurses working 0-1 year vs. ≥ 2 years there was no statistically significant difference. Two CPS knowledge questions did not show significance due to a high correct baseline knowledge rate (> 98%), including baseline knowledge of MVC being the leading cause of death. Of the remaining 7 knowledge questions, 5 questions showed statistically significant improvement in knowledge: age when children can sit in front seat, state GDL law details, seat belt state law for back seat riders, age for booster seat, and rear facing car seat age. All four counseling behavior questions showed increases in intent to counsel families; however, only intent to counsel regarding teen driving reached statistical significance.ConclusionsEducational efforts improved pediatric ED nursing knowledge regarding CPS. Intent to counsel was also improved following the education.

Speech Processor Care in the SARS-CoV-2 Era

Speech Processor Care in the SARS-CoV-2 Era

Evaluation of Sleep Quality in a Disaster Evacuee Environment.

We aimed to evaluate sleep and sleep-related physiological parameters (heart rate variability and glucose dynamics) among evacuees by experimentally recreating the sleep environment of evacuation shelters and cars. Nine healthy young male subjects participated in this study. Two interventions, modeling the sleep environments of evacuation shelters (evacuation shelter trial) and car seats (car trial), were compared with sleep at home (control trial). Physiological data were measured using portable two-channel electroencephalogram and electrooculogram monitoring systems, wearable heart rate sensors, and flash glucose monitors. Wake after sleep onset (WASO) and stage shift were greater in both intervention trials than the control trial, while rapid-eye movement (REM) latency and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) 1 were longer and REM duration was shorter in the evacuation shelter trial than the control trial. Glucose dynamics and power at low frequency (LF.p) of heart rate variability were higher in the car trial than in the control trial. It was confirmed that sleep environment was important to maintain sleep, and affected glucose dynamics and heart rate variability in the experimental situation.

A Process Evaluation Protocol for Examining the Impact of Instructions for Correct Use of Child Car Seats Designed through a Consumer-Driven Process and Evaluated in a Field-Based Randomised Controlled Trial.

The incorrect use of child car seats is common, with significant negative effects on crash protection for child passengers. There is currently little evidence for effective, practical countermeasures for incorrect use. The provision of clear and comprehensible materials on correct use supplied with restraints at the point of sale could be highly cost-effective and achieve similar benefits to restraint-fitting services or hands-on training; however, routinely supplied instructions in their current form are frequently difficult to understand. We are conducting a randomised controlled trial of the consumer-driven redesign of instructional materials, consisting of an instruction sheet, swing tags and online training videos. This paper presents the protocol that will be used in an innovate process evaluation that will use the primary outcome of overall serious misuse assessed at six months, together with a survey and semi-structured interviews to determine fidelity, dose and outcomes for all intervention participants. The study will assess intervention delivery and external factors that may impact the effectiveness of the intervention, including experience, health literacy, confidence and attitudes. When it has been conducted, this process evaluation will provide enhanced understanding of the mechanisms through which the intervention works or not, aspects of the implementation process key to success of the intervention and insight into how external factors influence the success of the intervention.

Comfort seat design: Thermal sensitivity of human back and buttock

In recent years, comfort seat design has received widespread attention from researchers. One of the factors that could contribute to comfort is the thermal influence due to the interaction between the human and the seating surface, for which literature is limited.In this paper, a laboratory experimental setup was used to detect and analyse the temperature changes at interface between seated subjects and a sensorized automotive seat. Acquired temperatures were processed in order to identify a mathematical model for describing the temperature changes at the interface.The main target of the study was the identification of the most sensitive areas of the human body to temperature variation while seated and its effect on local and overall perceived thermal comfort.Statistical analysis showed that the effects of temperature were most perceived in the “Upper Body” (UB) and less in the “Lower Body” (LB). The shoulders, the sides of the back, the back and the buttocks were most sensitive to temperature changes at the interface. Differences have been highlighted also between male and female subjects. Relevance to industryThe identification of the most sensitive areas of the human body to temperature variation, while seated, and the identification of the logarithmic model for describing the temperature changes should allow seat designers to define targets and strategies in developing cooling and heating systems for car seats, taking into account, in a preventive evaluation, the most probable perceived thermal comfort.

Neuromuscular fatigue profiles depends on seat feature during long duration driving on a static simulator

Prolonged driving could induce neuromuscular fatigue and discomfort since drivers have little opportunity to adjust their position. However, better car seat design could play a major role in limiting these effects. This study compared the effect of two different seats (S - soft and F - firm) on neuromuscular fatigue and driver's perceived discomfort during prolonged driving, also assessing the effect of different road types on neuromuscular activity. Twenty participants performed two 3-h driving sessions, one for each seat, on a static simulator. Every 20 min, participants self-evaluated their level of whole-body and individual body-area discomfort. Surface electromyography (sEMG) was recorded for eight muscles including Trapezius descendens (TD), Erector spinae longissimus (ESL), Multifidus (MF), Vastus lateralis (VL) and Tibialis anterior (TA) throughout the driving sessions. Moreover, an endurance static test (EST) was performed prior to and after each driving session. Whole-body discomfort increased with time with both seats, but no difference in discomfort scores was observed between seats throughout the driving sessions. The highest discomfort scores were for neck and lower back areas with both seats. Neuromuscular fatigue was revealed by a shorter endurance time in post-driving EST for both seats. EMG recordings showed different neuromuscular fatigue profiles for the two seats, with earlier onset of fatigue for S. Despite the lack of difference in perceived discomfort level, the two seats have different impacts: the softness of S induces greater activity of the lower back muscles, while F offers greater support for the lower back.

Case study: Performance analysis and development of robotized screwing application with integrated vision sensing system for automotive industry

Industrial cameras starting to play a significant role in current industrial environment and they represent a strong tool for robotics mainly in cases when they are combined with high-speed robots. However, there are still some difficulties in vision system integration. The capability of such system (e.g. assembly or technological system) depends on several factors, for instance, the camera position, lightning conditions, pattern recognition algorithms, precise setup, as well as well-trained programmer and engineer. The skills of the engineering staff and the precise analysis of conditions and process requirements seem to be crucial for successful solution, what was proved also in our experimental test. The main aim of the article is development and complex performance analysis of robotized screwing application with integrated vision system, concretely the case study of automated assembly system in automotive industry—bolting tightening robotized station as a part of car seat assembly process. The main key elements of the designed workplace are industrial robot FANUC M-20 iA/20M with integrated iRVision system containing the industrial camera Sony XC-56. The real influence of inaccuracies during the design process, gradual “step-by-step” refinement, and final influence of all changings on the final quality and efficiency of designed system was demonstrated. At the end, we reached the point where the total number of screwing operations with NOK results (not OK / negative results) is about six single negative results per day, which represents less than 0.1% of all recognitions (overall reliability is higher than 99.9%).

FEM Simulation of Composite Polyurethane Foam for Car Seat Cushion

Reduction of both harmful emissions and energy performance intensity of transportation currently ranks among the most important factors influencing the current trends in the development of components used in the automotive industry, particularly due to the legislative regulations concerning the reduction of greenhouse gases. For car producers is one of the possible ways of how to achieve such a goal is to reduce the weight of individual car components while maintaining or improving their in-use material properties. Therefore, the requirement of weight reduction also applies to car seat cushions. FEM a very powerful tool of mechanical parts design. A composite material model has been designed and verified. There were created structural models enabling us to study and visualize the stress distribution between the fibers and the polyurethane foam structure, the structural models were created by means of model simulations using the finite elements. Several configurations of structural models with horizontal and vertical threads were created. Then were developed FEM simulations corresponding with real geometry of the composite seat cushion and their results were evaluated.

Unobtrusive Health Monitoring in Private Spaces: The Smart Vehicle.

Unobtrusive in-vehicle health monitoring has the potential to use the driving time to perform regular medical check-ups. This work intends to provide a guide to currently proposed sensor systems for in-vehicle monitoring and to answer, in particular, the questions: (1) Which sensors are suitable for in-vehicle data collection? (2) Where should the sensors be placed? (3) Which biosignals or vital signs can be monitored in the vehicle? (4) Which purposes can be supported with the health data? We reviewed retrospective literature systematically and summarized the up-to-date research on leveraging sensor technology for unobtrusive in-vehicle health monitoring. PubMed, IEEE Xplore, and Scopus delivered 959 articles. We firstly screened titles and abstracts for relevance. Thereafter, we assessed the entire articles. Finally, 46 papers were included and analyzed. A guide is provided to the currently proposed sensor systems. Through this guide, potential sensor information can be derived from the biomedical data needed for respective purposes. The suggested locations for the corresponding sensors are also linked. Fifteen types of sensors were found. Driver-centered locations, such as steering wheel, car seat, and windscreen, are frequently used for mounting unobtrusive sensors, through which some typical biosignals like heart rate and respiration rate are measured. To date, most research focuses on sensor technology development, and most application-driven research aims at driving safety. Health-oriented research on the medical use of sensor-derived physiological parameters is still of interest.

Development of Logistic Regression Models to Classify Seat Fit

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">The digital evaluation process of vehicle-seat dimensions is an efficient and cost-effective way to achieve better seating comfort and proper fit. The present study is intended to quantify the statistical relationships between seat dimensions (e.g., insert width and bolster height defined at SAE J2732) and subjective seat fit (e.g., too tight, right fit, or too wide). Subjective fit evaluations for 45 different vehicle seats and the corresponding vehicle seat dimensions at various cross-sectional planes were collected by seat engineers (experts). The best subset logistic regression analyses were applied to quantify the relationships between the collected expert evaluations and seat dimensions at each cross-sectional plane. As a result, significant seat dimensions on the seat fit were identified and their statistical relationships were quantified as regression coefficients. The developed logistic models showed 80% - 90% as overall classification accuracy, and around 80% accuracy with five-fold cross-validations. The developed models would be particularly useful to identify optimal seat dimensions providing proper fit, reduce development cost for an automobile seat, and increase work efficiency in the digital evaluation process of an automobile seat.</div></div>

Passive Safety System for Side Impact in Cars

The ultimate aim of this work is to provide the safest ride for the peoples. The following contribution is to protect the precious life of the driver and the co-passengers during the accidents by increasing the distance between the impact zone and the passengers, peculiarly during the crash on the sides. This can be achieved by incorporating a pneumatic cylinder under the seats, which is then actuated by the solenoid valve triggered by the deformation caused by the crashing vehicle. This makes the seats tilted at the time of the accident away from the near side of the door, which saves the life. The high-pressure energy in the container gives ultimate kinetic energy using high velocity gives a sudden actuation of seats in a fraction of seconds clearly say 0.3 seconds. We have re-designed the structure and mechanism of car seats to make it possible to save precious lives. Our design idea does not stop with single possible way of saving the life, it extends to lot of customization and adaptability based on the car structure and available space specific to various brands and models.