Evaluation of four steering wheels to determine driver hand placement in a static environment (original) (raw)
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This paper presents the results of a steering-wheel grip force study of male and female drivers driving an automobile on two different road conditions (smooth and rough asphalt) at two different speeds (45 mph ¼ 72 km/h and 65 mph ¼ 105 km/h). Thirteen subjects (males and females) participated in this study. The force measurements were made through a custom-made capacitive pressure mapping system wrapped around the steering wheel. Results indicated significantly higher absolute force and net grip force values for the male drivers in comparison to the female drivers. On the other hand, the vehicle speed and the road condition did not significantly affect these response variables. In comparison, the relative value of the driver steering-wheel grip force, expressed as a percentage of the maximum voluntary steering-wheel grip force, and the net relative value of the driving steering-wheel grip force, expressed as a percentage of net maximum voluntary steering-wheel grip force, were not affected significantly by any of the factors. The drivers, on the average, applied their 31% of maximum voluntary steering-wheel grip force, and 21% of net maximum voluntary steering-wheel grip force, intermittently, to the steering wheel, while driving. The capacitive pressure mapping system was found to be a useful method in determining and monitoring the drivers' grip force while driving. Relevance to industry The knowledge of steering-wheel grip force characteristics of the drivers may benefit the automobile designers and manufacturers to improve the quality of their products in terms of comfort and driving performance. This study used a capacitive pressure mapping system in obtaining such information and presented the drivers' grip force characteristics for a sample of drivers.
Positioning study of driver's hands in certain areas of the steering wheel
MATEC Web of Conferences, 2018
The aim of this paper is to analyze driver's hands coordinates on the steering wheel for an optimal and safe driving experience. A good coordination of the driver's action on the controls is the result of a comfortable position that leads to an optimal reaction while driving. The presented study implies using a thermal imaging camera for analysing palms temperature changes in the contact area with the steering wheel. The resulting data shows that the optimal driving position of drivers' hands is 0° and 180° associating the steering wheel with and trigonometric circle.
International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 2005
Recently, the use of steering wheel mounted switches has been receiving attention. Such switches allow a driver to maintain his or her focus on the road. If the number of steering wheel mounted switches or their arrangement is improper, the advantage of using them may be diminished, and many operator errors may occur. The objective of this study was to examine how the number of steering wheel mounted switches and their arrangement interactively affected a driver's performance. The participants were required to press a specified switch while performing a first-order tracking task. The number of steering wheel mounted switches affected the reaction time in the switch operation task. With regard to the method of arranging the steering wheel mounted switches, the cross-type arrangement was more effective than a vertical-type arrangement. The cross-type arrangement with three steering wheel mounted switches provided the best performance and highest psychological rating. Relevance to industry: Cars equipped with steering wheel mounted switches are increasing. However, the number and arrangement of switches differ among automobile manufacturers, and there are no specific design guidelines on the number and arrangement of steering wheel mounted switches. Such guidelines would contribute to safety and efficiency by determining the optimum number of steering wheel mounted switches and their arrangement. Consequently, such a study would be expected to result in a reduction in driver errors and vehicle accidents.
Applied Ergonomics, 2009
Vehicle drivers receive tactile feedback from steering-wheel vibration that depends on the frequency and magnitude of the vibration. From an experiment with 12 subjects, equivalent comfort contours were determined for vertical vibration of the hands at two positions with three grip forces. The perceived intensity of the vibration was determined using the method of magnitude estimation over a range of frequencies (4-250 Hz) and magnitudes (0.1-1.58 ms À2 r.m.s.). Absolute thresholds for vibration perception were also determined for the two hand positions over the same frequency range. The shapes of the comfort contours were strongly dependent on vibration magnitude and also influenced by grip force, indicating that the appropriate frequency weighting depends on vibration magnitude and grip force. There was only a small effect of hand position. The findings are explained by characteristics of the Pacinian and non-Pacinian tactile channels in the glabrous skin of the hand.
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 2018
The steering wheel is ergonomically designed to provide optimal comfort to the drivers while grip the steering wheel, especially on the long journey. There are significant design differences between the steering wheel car models. Therefore, the objective of this research are to analyze the data of handgrip pressure towards national cars which is Proton and Perodua. The experiment will be performed by using type 2 (two) cars, Proton Saga and Perodua Myvi. Tekscan Grip System is a system that will be used to perform this analysis. Data of handgrip pressure are collected during driving when the device are installed and connect to the respondents. Selection of the road for this experiment will start at 92.1 KM intersection traffic lights, entering North-South Highway, and will end at Tangkak Toll Exit. During the experiment, all volunteers need to maintain speed in the range of 80-100km / h and most of the time, they have to drive in the left lane unless overtaking other vehicles. Distance from beginning to end is about 68.8km and the time taken is about 30 minutes. Drivers will be driving with the hands on the steering wheel 9 and 3 because it is the safest position to hold the steering wheel. The finding from this study will give a better insight on the effect of steering wheel design to the grip pressure of the driver.
Gestural interaction on the steering wheel
Proceedings of the 2011 annual conference on Human factors in computing systems - CHI '11, 2011
Cars offer an increasing number of infotainment systems as well as comfort functions that can be controlled by the driver. In our research, we investigate new interaction techniques that aim to make it easier to interact with these systems while driving. We suggest utilizing the steering wheel as an additional interaction surface. In this paper, we present two user studies conducted with a working prototype of a multi-touch steering wheel. In the first, we developed a user-defined steering wheel gesture set, and in the second, we applied the identified gestures and compared their application to conventional user interaction with infotainment systems in terms of driver distraction. The main outcome was that driver's visual demand is reduced significantly by using gestural interaction on the multi-touch steering wheel.
Proximity to the steering wheel for obese drivers
2017
Obesity increases the risks to motor vehicle occupants of some types of injury in crashes. The effects of obesity on injury causation are not well understood and current prevention efforts do not effectively address the increased vulnerability of individuals with high body mass index (BMI). Proximity to the steering wheel has been associated with increased risk due to airbag deployment, and the steering wheel rim is a source of injury in frontal crashes even with airbags. This study examined the spatial relationship between the steering wheel and drivers with high BMI in a midsize sedan package condition. Driving postures of 52 men and women with BMI from 31 to 59 kg/m (median 38 kg/m) were measured in laboratory mockup configured to be representative of a midsize passenger car. Three-dimensional body shape data captured using a laser scanner were aligned to landmarks measured in the driving posture to quantify the relationship between the torso and the steering wheel. Consistent wi...
After several decades of small incremental improvements, the development of ergonomics in truck driving environments is now facing a potential change with the introduction of autonomous driving. The knowledge on what happens to the driver's posture and vision related behaviour with an increasing level of automated driving is still very limited. The aim of this paper is to understand truck drivers' expectations on both current vehicles and future trucks with an expected increased level of automation, and to see how the expectations relate to previous driving posture related research. Truck drivers' postural behaviour is determined by several contextual factors. Some are related to the actual driving task and traffic situation, and some related to the cabin layout. Individual variability also largely affects the choice of sitting posture. The field of vision is often prioritized over sitting comfort in increasingly complex driving environments and drivers tend to adapt to a more forward leaning posture to get a better overview in these situations. An increased level of automation could potentially allow drivers to get an increased freedom in choosing their preferred postures but also possibly mean a change in their working tasks, with increased possibilities of performing secondary working tasks like transport planning and handling orders. However, the interviewees in this study generally imagined increased opportunities of finding relaxing and comfortable sitting opportunities rather than a change in the working task as a result of increased automation.