Method for improving ergonomics of a vehicle cockpit

• US 10,460,073 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2016
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sendhoff, Bernhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Hann, Jay
• Application Number:
  US15/019,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20160292352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,358 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/50 Instruments characterised by their means of attachment to or integration in the vehicle B60K35/231 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/65 Instruments specially adapted for specific vehicle types or users, e.g. for left- or right-hand drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/654 the user being the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/90 Calibration of instruments, e.g. setting initial or reference parameters; Testing of instruments, e.g. detecting malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/00 Dashboards as road-vehicle superstructure sub-units B62D25/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30

Abstract

A method for improving ergonomics of a vehicle obtains a first information defining an initial cockpit configuration. Further, information on a cockpit user'"'"'s shape and information of a seat and steering wheel position which the user typically uses while driving, are obtained. This information is fed into a bio-mechanical simulation which carries out the simulation based upon the information defining the initial cockpit configuration, the user'"'"'s shape and the user'"'"'s seat and steering wheel position. In the bio-mechanical simulation, an ergonomic quality criteria is calculated for reaching movements during driving. Based upon the simulation result which is the quality criteria, the cockpit configuration is changed. The bio-mechanical simulation and the changing of the cockpit configuration in the optimization process is then repeated until a predetermined stop condition is fulfilled. The cockpit configuration which is achieved at that point in time is output as final cockpit-configuration.

Claims

1. Method for improving ergonomics of a car cockpit, said method comprising:

obtaining information defining an initial cockpit configuration;

obtaining information on a driver'"'"'s shape by using a 3D laser scan or image based models and information of a seat and steering wheel position the driver typically uses when driving;

defining a set of reaching movements for carrying out a bio-mechanical simulation,

wherein the defined set of reaching movements is formed by a plurality of types of reaching movements with a weighting factor assigned to each of the types of reaching movements for distinguishing an importance of each of the types of reaching movements;

conducting the bio-mechanical simulation on the basis of the information defining the initial cockpit configuration, information on the driver'"'"'s shape and information on the seat and steering wheel position for calculating ergonomic quality criteria for the defined reaching movements during driving;

changing the cockpit configuration in an optimization process using the simulation result;

repeating conducting the bio-mechanical simulation and changing of the cockpit configuration until a predetermined stop condition is fulfilled;

outputting a definition for the final cockpit-configuration; and

manufacturing the car cockpit based on the output definition for the final cockpit-configuration,

wherein the quality criteria includes criteria for cognitive ergonomics, and

wherein the criteria for cognitive ergonomics refer to a distraction of the driver from a main driving task resulting from the reaching movements of the driver.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein

the information defining the initial cockpit configuration used in the bio-mechanical simulation is obtained from a result of an optimization process starting from a predetermined basic configuration and using feedback information from the driver as an input for the optimization process.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein positions of the joints are extracted from the information on the driver'"'"'s shape and the bio-mechanical simulation is conducted using the position information.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein in the bio-mechanical simulation ergonomic quality criteria for physical ergonomics are calculated.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein

in the optimization process different quality criteria are weighted and linearly combined.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein

the optimization process is a multi-objective optimization the result of which is a Pareto front.

7. Method according to claim 5, wherein

the cockpit configuration being subject to the bio-mechanical simulation is visualized to a user and feedback information regarding preference of the user is used together with the combined ergonomic quality criteria in the optimization process.