Car seat design for Driver Satisfaction! Mac Reynolds, Ph.D. August 26,

J D Power’s APEAL Seat Satisfaction is Low! 2

3 Lansing State Journal, August 25, 2013 Seat Satisfaction?

4 81% in showroom! 66% of owners! Satisfied Drivers Customer Retention rate ≈ 48% (R. L. Polk, January, 2013)

Physics based, optimization model of seated drivers in car. 5 US Patents: #6,840,125, US#7,047,831, US#7,347,114, US #7,797,138 ERL

6 Seat Design in ERL is Interior Optimization for Drivers’ Satisfaction!

7 E N S ERL DHMs represent driver behavior in vehicle! Sm MedLg Patents: US#6,840,125, US#7,047,831, US#7,347,114, US #7,797,138

Small Medium Large US Patents: #6,840,125, US#7,047,831, US#7,347,114, US #7,797,138 ERL evaluates interior with same criteria for all drivers! 8

Load-Bearing in Seat Load-Bearing in Seat Body Contact with Seat Body Contact with Seat Top of Seatback Chest Lumbar Bottom of Seatback Buttocks Thigh CG Head Restraint Front of Cushion 9 ERL uses same biomechanical sitting objectives for all drivers. US Patents: #6,840,125, US#7,047,831, US#7,347,114, US #7,797,138 Nose of Cushion

83 Vehicles ( ) Acura RL, Acura MDX, Audi A8, Audi A6, Audi A4 (2), BMW 325Ci, BMW 530xi, BMW 740iL, BMW X3, BMW X5, Buick LaCrosse, Buick Park Avenue, Buick Ranier, Buick Regal, Cadillac CTS, Cadillac Deville, Cadillac DTS, Chevy Cavalier, Chevy Cobalt, Chevy Corvette, Chevy Equinox, Chevy Monte Carlo, Chevy HHR, Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Trailblazer, Chrysler 300, Chrysler LHS, Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Dakota, Ford Edge, Ford Escape, Ford F150, Ford Mustang (2), Freightliner M2, GMC Savana, Honda Civic, Honda Odyssey, Hummer H2, Hummer H3, Kia Sportage, Land Rover Range Rover, Lexus ES300, Lexus LS430, Lexus RX300, Lexus RX330, Lincoln LS, Mercedes Benz C-class, Mercedes Benz E-class (2), Mercedes Benz S-class, Mercedes Benz SLK, Nissan Quest, Nissan Maxima, Olds Alero, Pontiac G6, Pontiac Montana, Pontiac Torrent, Saab 9-3, Saab 9-5, Saturn LS, Saturn L300, Saturn Vue, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Camry, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Prius, Toyota Sequoia (2), Toyota Sienna (3), Toyota Solara, Toyota 4-Runner, Volkswagen Beetle, Volkswagen GTI, Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Passat, Volvo S80, Volvo V70, Volvo XC90. 10

Comfort Score comes from Seating Dimensions/DHM CushionSeat BackPackageSeat PenaltyPackage Penalty LengthUpper backSeat TravelNeck AngleElbow Angle Wing Shape HeadlinerHip AngleKnee Angle Thigh SupportInsert ShapeVision Thigh WingInsert StiffnessSW to Chest Front WingShoulder WingSW to Thigh Ischial Insert WChest WingPedal Reach Thigh Insert WLumbar Wing Front Insert WBiteline Wing Insert StiffnessHead Restraint Shoulder Contact Chest Support Lumbar Support Biteline Contact 11

Comfort Evaluation of Audi A4 Audi A4Small FemaleAverage MaleLarge Male Posture (E, N, S)6.5, 7.0, , 8.5, , 8.5, 9.1 Driver’s Back Posture: E = Erect N = Neutral S = Slumped 12 Scoring Color Code: Uncomfortable (≤7.5) Marginally comfortable ( ) Comfortable (≥8.0)

Small female: 6.92 USA Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, US #7,797,138 13

Medium male: 8.38 USA Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, US #7,797,138 14

Large male: 8.49 USA Patents: #6,840,125, #7,047,831, #7,347,114, US #7,797,138 15

20 Vehicles: Mid-SizeX-OverCompactSUVMisc. CamryBMW X3Audi A4EdgeFit BMW 530HHRBMW 328TahoeCamaro LACROSSEEscapeCobaltWranglerFiat 500 CTSRanier Chrysler 300 Volvo S80 Passat 16

Showroom Satisfaction Vehicles Showroom Mid Size 89.6% X-Over 87.4% Compact 77.8% SUV 87.4% Miscellaneous 64.5% Average 81.4% 17

Owner Satisfaction Vehicles Owners Mid Size 77.2% X-Over 69.2% Compact 63.3% SUV 68.4% Miscellaneous 50.2% Average 65.7% 18

Seating distracts Driver! 19

Seated back posture affects Packaging 20 ERECT & SLUMPED Patents: US#6,840,125, US#7,047,831, US#7,347,114, US #7,797,138

Variation in Spine Shape 21 Chest Lumbar (Milne & Lauder, Ann. Hum. Biol. 1: , 1974) Sample: 413 Men 406 Women Head Pelvis

Erect Neutral Slumped Vision Space Patents: US#6,840,125, US#7,047,831, US#7,347,114, US #7,797,138 Different postures in Seat affect Satisfaction! 22

Driver Postural Behaviors 23 Erect Neutral Slumped Alert Active Relaxed (≈8°) (≈11°) (≈14°) Torso Angle ≈ 24°) Patents: US#6,840,125, US#7,047,831, US#7,347,114, US #7,797,138

Small Medium Large US Patents: #6,840,125, US#7,047,831, US#7,347,114, US #7,797,138 Use same design criteria for all drivers & Oscar! 24

Define Seating Reference Point from male DHMs in Car Seat. 25 Medium Torso, H-point Z Large Legs, H-point X

26 Optimize Car Interior SF MM LM Patents: US#6,840,125, US#7,047,831, US#7,347,114, US #7,797,138

Owner Satisfaction? “…we confirmed my wife's leg problem as being related to her SRX vehicle seat/ occupant package. …she had an 8-way power seat, adjustable pedals, and a rake/ telescopic steering wheel, …! For a while the Doctors thought it was caused by the rigorous running or some other anomaly, they suspected a soft tissue tumor and ordered a detailed MRI, which thankfully was negative.” 27