Modeling of Vibration Characteristics of Human-Seat Systems using Automotive Seats

Abstract

In order to evaluate the ride comfort of a car, it is necessary to know the vibration characteristics of the human body. If the vibration characteristics can be well predicted by numerical simulation, the time for car development and the cost can be greatly reduced. Many models that can simulate the vibration characteristics of the human body have been studied but there is no human-seat coupled model that sufficiently expresses the vibration characteristics of both the human body and the seat. Therefore, in this study, we propose a human-with-seat model up to 50 Hz with regard to two car seats with different characteristics. The model is a FEM model with beam elements. The mass was the weight of the subject, node coordinates were measured by motion capture, and the stiffness and damping coefficient of the beam were unknown parameters. The analysis results show that the primary and secondary modes, which are the main modal characteristics of the human-seat system, can be reproduced.