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