Post on 20-Aug-2015
THE STORY OF ERL, OR HOW TO
IMPROVE INTERIOR CAR DESIGN AND
SEATING COMFORT.Mac Reynolds, Ph.D.
1/15/2013
Hi! My name is ERL. I’m a 4’11” female driver model and I can tell the car manufacturer what you, the customer, feels in the
seat before the car is built.
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
For example, a small woman drove this car and said
“cushion- a little long - …head rest- a little hard to
move, orientation bad - ... - too close to steering wheel - back rest lateral too low and
are pushing my arms”
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
Measurements of me show the “cushion is too long and too
wide, and the lower backrest is too narrow while the upper backrest is too wide.” I am
sitting too close to the steering wheel and I can barely reach the
pedal.
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
I am a virtual design tool for interior engineering.
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
I am one of nine driver models developed in the Ergonomics
Research Lab (ERL) at Michigan State University in 1999. The green model is “Oscar,” the
SAE model.
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
I’m 6’3” tall and Oscar has my
legs.
I’m 5’10” tall and Oscar has my
torso.
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
Oscar is a dimensional tool but he is the first driver model in
the virtual car at the manufacturer.
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
ERL models can sit in the virtual car with postures
that real drivers use. Erect
Neutral
Slumped
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
Dimensions from ERL in the virtual car measure comfort and calculate a score that
correlates with real driver’s comfort scores.
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
ERL sits in a virtual car seat so dimensions measure how you will fit in the seat driving the
car.
Headliner
Mirror
Instrument Panel
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
I’m 6’3”. Does that seat fit me?
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
You use the same muscles and bones that I do. They are just larger. So, design
has to optimize the car seat for body landmarks.
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
Look, he is supported at landmarks we
share. Should
er
Chest
Lumbar
Buttocks
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
We sit in different postures because I’m short and you’re tall. The seat has to fit us both and we have to see the road and traffic signals to
drive the car.
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
I never have trouble seeing the road, I just don’t have room in the
car.
There are lots of problems, and if ERL
was sitting in the virtual car at the
beginning of design, engineers could fix
them.
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
Instead, manufacturers start with “Oscar” and how drivers sat in
cars they had built and sold. They repeat the past and expect a
better future!
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
The government requires manufactures to use Oscar to measure the head restraint
position for your safety.
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
Do you feel the head restraint interferes with your
ability to sit and drive the car?
Yes
No
Yes
YesYes Yes
Yes
NoNo
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
Six “Yeses” represent 84% of all drivers in the
world.
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
In conclusion, real drivers need manufacturers to design and validate the car interior with
ERL.
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138
Thanks for reading my story. For more information, contact
Mac Reynolds (reynolds@erlllc.com).
US Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, #7,797,138