Class B Vehicle Packaging: Designing Bus Cab Layout for U.S. Bus Drivers
Open Access
- Author:
- Wu, Songlin
- Graduate Program:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- July 30, 2020
- Committee Members:
- Matthew B Parkinson, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Karen Ann Thole, Program Head/Chair
Elizabeth Marie Starkey, Committee Member
Sean N Brennan, Committee Member - Keywords:
- anthropometry
body dimension
human variability
vehicle packaging
Class-B vehicle
bus
steering wheel
H point
seat
eye
vision
comfort
Cascade Model
Manikin
Population Model
Hybrid Model
VFT
posture
accommodation - Abstract:
- The objective of this thesis is to examine human anthropometric and preferential variability and investigates a number of methods that have been developed to accommodate this variability within vehicle packaging. Multiple simulation approaches are described and analyzed to show the strengths and weaknesses each demonstrates in its ability to predict population accommodation. Building on previous research, a study on the driving environment of bus operators was carried out, allowing the effect of an operator’s physical dimension, postural preference, and workstation geometry to be evaluated simultaneously. A population of virtual U.S. bus drivers, constructed from anthropometric surveys and workforce surveys, is applied in a cascade prediction model that locates the reference points in a bus cab and primary and secondary body landmarks of a driver within an existing or theoretical future vehicle package. This research led to the development of a web application tool and an Excel spreadsheet to assist industry users to assess spatial accommodation and driving safety of current buses and to help package future buses.