• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.397-402
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• 2018

Proper seat design is critical to the safety, comfort, and ergonomics of automotive driver's seats. To ensure effective seat design, quantitative methods should be used to evaluate the characteristics of automotive seats. This paper presents a system that is capable of simultaneously monitoring body pressure distribution and surface deformation in a textile material. In this study, a textile-based capacitive sensor was used to detect the body pressure distribution in an automotive seat. In addition, a strain gauge sensor was used to detect the degree of curvature deformation due to high-pressure points. The textile-based capacitive sensor was fabricated from the conductive fabric and a polyurethane insulator with a high signal-to-noise ratio. The strain gauge sensor was attached on the guiding film to maximize the effect of its deformation due to bending. Ten pressure sensors were placed symmetrically in the hip area and six strain gauge sensors were distributed on both sides of the seat cushion. A readout circuit monitored the absolute and relative values from the sensors in realtime, and the results were displayed as a color map. Moreover, we verified the proposed system for quantifying the body pressure and fabric deformation by studying 18 participants who performed three predefined postures. The proposed system showed desirable results and is expected to improve seat safety and comfort when applied to the design of various seat types. Moreover, the proposed system will provide analytical criteria in the design and durability testing of automotive seats.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.91-100
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• 2004

This study presents the development of a new aluminum seat frame for the commercial bus. Back moment and seat belt anchorage analysis of the conventional steel seat frame was conducted as a base model. Effective aluminum section dimensions for aluminum pipe were calculated from equivalent stiffness and equivalent weight study. Back moment and seat belt anchorage strength with the developed aluminum seat frame were compared to those of the base model. Additionally, to pass the fatigue test, shape modification of side frame assembly was conducted. From this study we could reduce the weight of seat frame more than 5 kg. And the current analysis model and procedure can provide useful informations in designing a new commercial car seat and can reduce the overall design cost and time.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.146-153
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• 2014

This study investigates the effects of seat-design elements such as seating arrangement, shape, and height on speech privacy in high-speed trains. For the evaluation of speech privacy, acoustic simulation software was used to reproduce room acoustical conditions in passenger cars on the basis of in-situ measurement data. The influences of speech source directivity and source height on privacy distance ($r_P$) were investigated, and it was found that $r_P$ determined using an omni-directional source was relatively shorter than that determined using a directional source. It was also found that $r_P$ decreased when the source height was lower than the height of the seat-back because the seat-back blocked the propagation of speech from the sound source. The effect of seating arrangement was not significant when comparing the vis-a-vis seating and one-side seating arrangements. In addition, among the alternative seat-designs, the seats that block the space between the seats and cover the space near the ear were found to show significantly enhanced speech privacy in high-speed train passenger cars.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.230-235
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• 2004

This paper describes the design, fabrication and characteristics of a piezoelectric valve using MCA(Multilayer ceramic actuator). The MCA valve, which has the buckling effect, consists of three separate structures; MCA, a valve actuator die and an a seat die. The design of the actuator die was done by FEM modeling and displacement measurement, respectively. The valve seat die with 6 trenches was made, and the actuator die, which is driven to MCA under optimized conditions, was also fabricated. After Si-wafer direct bonding between the seat die and the actuator die, MCA was also anodic bonded to the seat/actuator die structure. PDMS sealing pad was fabricated to minimize a leak-rate. It was also bonded to seat die and SUS package. The MCA valve shows a flow rate of 9.13 seem at a supplied voltage of 100 V with a 50% duty cycle, maximum non-linearity was 2.24% FS and leak rate was $3.03{\times}10^{-8}pa{\codt}m^{3}/cm^{2}$. Therefore, the fabricated MCA valve is suitable for a variety of flow control equipment, a medical bio-system, automobile and air transportation industry.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.7 no.9
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• pp.182-194
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• 1999

Occupant injury in rear end impact is rapidly becoming one of the most aggravating traffic safety problems with high human suffering and societal costs. Although rear end impact occurs at relatively low speed , it may cause permanent disability due to neck injuries resulting from an abrupt moment, shear force , and tension/compression force at the occipital condyles. The analysis is performed for a combined occupant-eat model response, using the SAFE(Safety Analysis for occupant crash Environment) computer program. The computational results are verified by those from sled tests. A parameter study is conducted for many physical and mechanical properties. Seat design has been performed based on the design of experiment process with respect to five parameters; seat-back upholstery stiffness, torsional stiffness of the seat-back. An orthogonal array is selected from the parameter study. A good design has been found from the analysis results based on the orthogonal array. The results show that reductions of stiffness in seat-back upholstery and joint are the most effective for preventing neck injuries.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.151-165
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• 2001

The purpose of this study is to develop systematic methods for evaluating the suitability of a seat and build an empirical model for predicting the suitability of a seat. The following research schemes were pursued to achieve the objectives - Development of suitable chair dimensions - Analysis scheme for decomposing the human-product interface system - Development of model for evaluating suitability. As a result, we uncovered six dominant suitability dimensions for the design of a comfortable seat that is related to the physical dimension of a body, Here, six suitability dimensions were identified as the dimensions that represent the human sensitivity and psychological feeling on comfortable seats. Also, 43 human-interface elements (HIE's) such as seat height, seat width, seat depth, tilting angle, seat surface etc. were investigated. HIE was generally defined as the physical characteristic of manufacturing goods, and it had close related to the body dimension of a user and environment that it was used.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 1995.10a
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• pp.933-937
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• 1995

The design of injection molded prlymeric parts has been done empirically, since it requires profound knowledge about the moldability and causal effects on the properties of the parts. This study shows CAE approach for the design of the seat frame of fiber-reinforced composite material in order to realize the concept os rationsl design for the productivity and quality of mold making. The knowledge-based CAE system is constructed by adding the knowledge-basw module for the design evaluation and appropriate CAE programs for mold design analysis in order to provied designers, at the initial design stage, with comprehensive process knowledge for the performance analysis and the design evaluation. A knowledge-based CAE system is a new tool which enables the concurrent design with integrated and balanced design decisions at the initial design stage of injection molding.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.91-96
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• 1999

This study is about the design and analysis ot a suspension damper for truck driver's seat to improve the ride comfort. Trucks are usually subjected to hostile driving environments. Therefore, many truck driver's seat have suspension seats to isolate the vibration from the cab floor panel. Because the vehicle suspension system can reduce the primary vibration from the ground, only low frequency vibration can be transmitted to the driver's seat. But, this low frequency vibration can be harmful to the driver. The seat damper is very critical element to improve the ride comfort for the driver. In this study, a four-stage damper is designed and analyzed for the vibration capability. The damping coefficient of this damper can lie manually controlled in response to the road and driving environment.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.172-182
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• 2000

A hybrid type automotive drivers seat was invented with new concepts for the reduction of weight and manufacturing costs. Fundamental studies were performed to determine the basic geometry of reinforcing support. A prototypical design was provided by the manufacturer considering compatibility with other parts. Several structural analyses simulating various crash situations were performed and modifications were continued until a final design was reached. A sample product was manufactured and sled crash tests were performed to verify the safety of the seat. Comparisons of test results with the previous model and a seat from another company proved safety performances to be superior.

• Proceedings of the Safety Management and Science Conference
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• 2010.04a
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• pp.61-69
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• 2010

The users who use the wheelchair are confined to a wheelchair for a long time. Accordingly, the use of seat cushion for pressure distribution is very important in order to prevent a bedsore. Therefore, this paper provides useful information for design of seat cushion through statistical testing among nothing cushion, low cell type of air cushion, high cell type of air cushion, and jelly type of air cushion. It turned out that the jelly type and high cell type of air cushion have a serious effect on decision and design of seat cushion.