Car Driver Ergonomics Basics, How-To & Design Tips

Ergonomics, or the study of human-machine interfacing, is important to

vehicle design because the ultimate control of the vehicle belongs to the
driver. When designing this “interface” between person and machine,
several aspects should be taken into account so that the best system of
control is produced.

Seating Position/Field of View

A key input to the interface is the driver’s vision and that of any co-driver
(i.e. Rally). The field of view, as shown in diagrams SP1 and SP2 below,
should include visibility ahead and to the sides of the vehicle
(Approximately 180 degree arc–more is even better) and visibility of the
road surface.
The driver needs a sufficient level of information about the nature of the
oncoming road surface and what is occurring beside them through
peripheral vision to drive confidently. If the driver must strain their neck to
see enough to feel confident, their field of view is inadequate.
 Diagram SP1. Forward and side field of view should be at least 180
degrees. Even more is useful as the driver can turn their head slightly to
pickup competitors in their peripheral vision.

Diagram SP2. Vertical field of view should permit the driver to see the
road surface ahead with enough detail to gauge its condition. If the
surface visible is too far away, resolution is lost and road condition can
become vague.
The position the driver will sit in takes into account their field of view first
and foremost. However, additional factors such as control positions,
comfort and leg/arm leverage must also be factored in.
The design goals of the seating position are:
 To enable the driver (and co-driver) to see clearly ahead and beside
themselves through standard and peripheral vision.
 To provide a position of comfortable leverage for the driver so they
do not become tired due to operating the controls from an awkward
position.
 To enable the driver to adequately see the side mirrors in their
peripheral vision (At a minimum) so that the driver need not
continuously take their eyes off the road ahead to gauge an
opponent’s position behind them. Ideally the side mirrors should be
far enough forward to enable direct viewing by a driver glancing at
them.
 To enable easy visual access to gauges and other visual feedback in
the forward looking line of sight.
 To minimize CG height to optimize handling.

Control Positions
Vehicle controls should be within a comfortable reach of the driver
(and co-driver if applicable) and be comfortable to operate. Controls
 that are awkward to reach or difficult to operate will distract the
driver/co-driver and potentially result in more driving mistakes.

Steering Wheel
The four most important aspects of the steering wheel are:
1. Distance from the driver – The steering wheel is a tool of leverage.
As such, if the steering wheel is too close or too far away from the
driver, they will find the steering awkward and tiring. As shown in
diagram SW1 below, with their arm straight (but not straining), the
driver should be able to rest their wrist on the top of the steering
wheel. Doing so will ensure that in the worst case, the driver’s arms
will not be locked straight while steering (Which is both
uncomfortable and a poor leverage position)

Diagram SW1. Distance from driver to steering wheel. A general

rule of thumb is that the driver’s wrist should sit on the top of the
steering wheel with their arm straight and not reaching (Not
extending their shoulder forward).
2. Elbow Room – When turning, one arm will be forced to move closer
to the driver’s body. It is important to ensure that the seat does not
interfere with that motion. If the driver is forced to keep his arms in a
wing-like posture to avoid the seat or jam their elbow into their rib
cage, it will be uncomfortable.
1.3.
Steering Wheel Angle – The angle of the steering wheel goes hand in
hand with points #1 and #2 above. The arc through which the steering
wheel turns determines where the hands arms, and elbows will be
located. To extreme an angle, horizontally or vertically will be
uncomfortable.
4. Steering Wheel Size – Steering wheel size determines the amount of
leverage but also the amount of motion required by the driver to
turn the vehicle. The scrub radius of the steering tires/wheels, the
steering rack ratio and the diameter of the steering wheel all
contribute to the amount of movement and effort required to steer.
Ergonomics Tips (1/2)

Serve the driver

The vehicle cockpit should serve the driver, not the other way around.
The more driver-friendly the ergonomics are, the more comfortable
the driver will be and the better than can focus on driving.

Design in order
To design the cockpit, first establish a confident field of view. Next
establish a seating position that is optimal for that field of view and
the vehicle’s other design goals. Then, determine control positions
and refine the overall cockpit through further iterations as needed.

Determining driver field of view

A helpful technique to achieve a good field of view is to use pieces of
cardboard in place of vehicle structure (sides, hood), and gauge the
driver’s comfort with their view. By adjusting the height of the pieces
until the driver is comfortable and then taking measurements from the
cardboard surfaces to the driver’s eyes, an assessment of the driver’s
required head position can be made.

Car Driver Ergonomics Basics, How-To & Design Tips cont…

Control Positions cont…

Pedals
 The pedals, like the steering wheel involve leverage within a limited space.
The three most important factors affecting the pedals are:
1. Distance from the driver – Due to the limited motion of the legs, the
pedals must be located at a proper distance from the driver to ensure
they can be engaged without awkwardly stretching or pushing from
cramped starting position. The comfort of the position is gauged by the
driver, but generally speaking, a starting, unengaged angle for the legs
should be no less than 90 degrees to ensure adequate leverage for long
pedal travels. For shorter pedal travels or more laid back seating
positions, angles of 120 degrees or more may be preferable. Diagram
PED1 below shows 90 and 120 degree angles.

Diagram PED1. Driver leg angle for disengaged pedals. Starting leg
angle depends on pedal travel, driver comfort and required leverage.
2. Leverage Ratio – Like a typical lever, the travel of the pedal that results
from its leverage ratio must be taken into account when designing the
pedals and the pedal distance from the driver (Point #1 above). Too long
a travel and the motion may become fatiguing. Too short a pedal travel
and the extra force needed may become fatiguing.
3. Control Sensitivity – Pedal travel again comes into play when we speak
about sensitivity. The pedal travel must be tuned to the precision required
for optimal control. For instance, a very short travel gas pedal might be
difficult to control precisely on a bumpy surface. A short travel clutch
pedal may make the clutch too quick to “bite” and cause bogging.
 Information/Gauges/Communications
In addition to the road the driver sees and feels through the seat, pedals
and steering wheel, there is often a need for information that helps the
driver to optimize their driving style and actions.
The information needed must address the nature of the vehicle and racing
(if applicable). For example, a fuel flow gauge would be useful in racing that
relies heavily upon managing fuel consumption. If a driver and co-driver or
pit crew need to communicate, then a communication system would be in
order. If switches are needed to control aspects of the vehicle, they will
need to be considered in the driver information system design.
Road or High-Performance Street machines have similar needs to racing
cars, but the focus of information is generally on ensuring “Nominal”
operation—that is, you’re not running out of fuel, your engine cooling
system is working, you’re shifting at the right RPM, etc.
1. Gauges – The most critical and frequently viewed gauges in a race or
high-performance vehicle should be placed in or very near to the driver’s
line of sight. Within a 5-10° range of the line of sight, as shown in diagram
IGC1 below, the driver can quickly see the gauge readouts while still
keeping their eyes on the road.
 Diagram IGC1. The driver’s line of sight includes an angle range where
their vision is capable of quick gauge assessment which limits the
duration away from focusing on driving.
2. Radios in Racing – Driver-to-co-driver communications should use high
quality noise cancellation radio systems as the communication needs to
be very clear in a co-operative racing situation like Rally. In Driver-to-Pit
communications, the same principle applies, but incorporates a longer
range transmission.
Radio type and antenna placement should be a design consideration,
especially if the race course is over undulating terrain (outside of line-of-
sight transmission). As the quality of the equipment will largely dictate the
range and quality of the transmission, high quality noise cancellation
radios are a must.
3. LCD displays/Data Acquisition – Steering wheel-based LCD/LED
displays with data acquisition have become very popular as a single
screen alternative to having multiple gauges.
Considerations for a designer using one of these displays should be for
its brightness and anti-reflective properties. In direct sunlight a poorly lit
display will wash-out. Consideration should also be given to the flexibility
of the data acquisition for your sensor requirements and its ability to
customize the display.

Cockpit Environment
The cockpit environment the occupants are in is largely dictated by the ride
characteristics (Rough, smooth), the temperature (heat transfer from
components like engine), the air flow, and the noise level.
Ensuring the occupants have the optimal concentration involves designing
the cockpit to regulate the environment to avoid extremes.
The roughness of the road surface can be isolated from the occupants to
some extent by damping their seating—the vehicle retains nimble handling,
but the occupants are cushioned.
Driver cooling is often an issue, but can be resolved by using fresh, cool air
ducted to the cockpit from the front of the vehicle and insulating the cockpit
from engine and exhaust
Noise level can be controlled through earplugs or noise cancellation
communications earphones.
Ergonomics Tips (2/2)

Determining driver position

Another helpful technique similar to that above is to use a mockup of the
cockpit made from cardboard to determine the driver seating position. Use
boards and supports under the driver to enable the driver to relax while
keeping their head in the desired position for a good field of view. Use
cardboard to model a steering wheel and gauge panel and use blocks to
mark pedal positions and travel. The field of view should be rechecked with
the “steering wheel” in position.

Consider driver comfort

Consider the comfort of the driver. A fully functioning cockpit can still leave
the occupants tired, hot, and bruised if environmental factors are not
considered.

Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the science of equipment design intended to maximize
productivity by reducing driverfatigue and discomfort. Ergonomic
consideration should not compromise the rules of BAJA. Themembers of a
team vary in their heights and weights widely. But the buggie should
be able to keepany member safe and provide good comfort for all.One of
the main aspects of ergonomics is the seat. If a team plans to purchase a new
seat, then,each member of the team should sit in the seat prior to
purchasing it to make sure they would fit init properly and make sure
it provides proper support.Another factor to be considered for proper
ergonomics is the position of steering wheel in relationto various
drivers. The optimal placement with respect to different members of
the team should befound before placing it.The next factor being the
gear shift. Based on the design a types of shift which suits the design
isdecided. Then the reach of different members of the team to the
stick shall be ensured. A paddleshift should be an optimum selection
since it allows the driver to shift without letting off the
steeringwheel. A gear shift indicator shall also be provided to indicate
the driver the appropriate time ofshift.Other features like reverse
mirrors and removable lights shall help the driver while practising
duringnights.These entire ergonomics factor for driver can also be checked
before fabrication using softwarewhich has the option of including a
dummy. The dummies used should replicate the 95
th
percentilemale. Once the dummy is placed in the seat its hand reach to
different components and the visibilityon the front shall be checked.
This is called Computer aided ergonomic analysis. The dummies
areavailable in software like Pro-E, Catia, Solidworks

DESIGN ERGONOMICS OF THE BAJA VEHICLEByShankar narayanan

K H and sashankajyoti kashyap ( design ergonomics team)ESSENTIALS
OF AN ERGONOMIC DESIGN TO BE KEPT IN MIND:

Drivers line of sight

Visible instrument cluster

Controls within easy reach of the driver

Seat angle and its back angle

Driver safety and comfort

Thigh and back support(preferable with additional padding in this

regions)The baja event is an off road event with forces on the drivers
body acting constantly with constantshocks transferred to him. The
previous vehicle ergonomics did not meet the required standards fora
good ergonomic design, the primary ergonomic design flaws in the
earlier design are as follows.

High seat angles for a low seating posture

Minimum leg room with no space for thigh rest

Gear lever positioning not within drivers proper reach and divers arm
intersects with legs ifproperly seated and causes hindrance in
changing gears.

The instrument panel in partially visible and also blocks a part of line of
sight.

Positioning of the brake pedals is not according to the passenger

driving standards.

Steering is too close to the face with a higher inclination.

Cramped interiors and very less leg room offered.Driving such a vehicle
will put the driver into a physical test rather than allowing him to focus
on thedriving.Each of this areas were worked any corrections were
made in areas which demanded a change forsure in order to meet the
minimal standards of driver comforts.

Widen the space between the seat and the pedals to 108 cm from seat
centre( keeping inview the cars low G.C i20,maruti Zen, corolla altis and
Mahindra bolero camper.(high G.C))

The instrument cluster to be shifted to the sides left and right

or even to one side preferablyright side ( a design change adopted
from Punjab college of engineering s vehicle)

The seat must be given additional padding in thigh region and also
inclination adjusted to110 degrees with the horizontal. (a standard
bucket seat might be a better option whichreduces further changes to
be made)

Steering inclination to be around 40 to 47 degrees with the horizontal

and it must have adistance of 4 cm from legs and above the axis of
brake pedal and parallely inclined to it.

Steering to be positioned 46 cm away from the face of the driver in

his best seating positionwithout helmet so as to provide required
clearance with helmet on.

The gear knob should be 27 cm away from the steering centre and 13
cm behind it.
A hand brake and a rear view mirrors are additional option which will
enhance drivingfeatures and will complete the cars design in terms of
all driving essentials