Final Project Ergonomics Car

Final Project

Lab num. 8

Ronal Patel

Nate Yi

Sonia M. Zaragoza

Adrian Zurita

Introduction

Our final project required the implementation of all the knowledge that we gained throughout this quarter about ergonomics. We needed to take a system and evaluate it. Once this was done we had to redesign it by trying to eliminate or reduce as much as we could anything that would induce errors, noise, etc.

Purpose

The purpose of this lab was add a basic suite of driver aids and information delivery systems for older or more basic vehicles that do not possess up to date safety equipment. This suite would provide nonessential, but useful information delivered to the driver in a non distracting way, and provide a smoother interaction between driver and machine. It will also provide flexibility for a variety of drivers based on population data, and the ability to install the system in a wide range of makes and models.

Subjects

The subject of this experiment was a 1969 Dodge Coronet and was chosen because the base measurements were taken based on an actual car of this model with a passenger compartment stripped bare so that the full design space could be realized. Modern automobiles have molded dashboards and clusters shaped around the components unique to each model. This makes visualizing the amount of space available to a design engineer more difficult, as the function of the automobile interior has evolved to include a wide variety of screens, buttons, and auxiliary systems. Using an older car allows us to see the bare bones, so to speak, of what a basic dashboard and passenger compartment look like when all features that do not contribute to the vehicle moving are removed, for example, air bags, seat belts, accessories, and radio. The improvements suggested are not specific to this vehicle. The proposed improvements are intended to be applicable to a wide variety of vehicles that do not possess, or have insufficient driver aids.

Apparatus

The apparatus for this project were the following:

Automobile with stripped out interior

Dashboard and accessory function controls

GPS

Procedure

The vehicle being analyzed only has the core components of an actual system of a dashboard (figure 1). Since this was a noticeable trait of the car, we decided to go more in depth and analyze the design that had immediate interaction with the driver and the way the object functions(controls). In order to come up with the recommendable sizes, distances, and displays for the majority of the things, we used the data of the American population given in the book, as well as the dimensions of the car used.

Figure 1. www.performancecargraphics.com

The gauge cluster, being the main source of information between the driver and the car, is one of the most important aspects of the dashboard. The fundamental purpose of the gauge cluster is to provide information about the operating states of the engine, electrical system, fuel level, and speed. Modern vehicles include a plethora of additional readouts to accommodate technological advancements, such as vehicle diagnostics, monitoring systems, etc. In the case of this 1969 model, the cluster only displayed readouts for the speed, fuel, electrical charging circuit, temperature, and time.

Figure 2. (www.trucktrend.com).

This 2005 Chevrolet Silverado dash (figure 2) demonstrates the additions to the automotive control center over the years. It should be noted that while many controls have been moved and arranged in such a way that the driver does not have to extend his/her arm, the basic layout of the gauge cluster is the same, which includes a speedometer, tachometer, gauges for voltage, oil pressure/temperature, coolant temperature, and a small diagnostic information screen.

The driver’s attention should always be focused on the road ahead, and cars in the general vicinity. The more time one’s eyes spend on the gauges and console controls, the less time the driver has to react when attention or input is required on the road. A heads up display showing only the information pertinent to the driver at the time of travel (speed, RPM, navigation instructions) so that eye contact can be maintained through the windshield. Relocating the speedometer and tachometer,which also typically occupy the most space in the gauge cluster, leaves more room for engine status gauges and more detailed diagnostic information.

We then decided to make changes that would be easy to implement, yet would provide the most amount of utility and safety for the driver. This included research on what the current market offers in the cutting edge of safety and the level of technology available to the general consumer without access to the newest development. This information will be used to create a more cost effective alternative that accomplishes a similar effect of safety that is also easily implemented to other vehicles.

We then moved to another component of the car, the back mirror. Since we noticed that the vision range of the cars are reduced by the boundaries set by the back windshield and the reduced space given to the mirror, then it was imperative that an improvement had to be done. We then noted the dimensions of the car since the structure had to be kept. Also we had to find the appropriate display for the mirror, since it was set to satisfy two functions, a simple mirror and an LCD monitor integrated. The text size, font, luminance, among other factors had to be analyzed.

For the font used in the monitor for moments/sections that are of noncritical use and for the ones that are, we found the range that can be used among both extremes. For the Ws= 1.45 x 10^-5 x 20 x 40= .0116 in. and for the Hl= Ws/.2= 0.58 in,