Investigation of Drivers FOV and Related Ergonomics Using Laser Shadowgraphy from Automotive Interior

Abstract

A new application of laser shadowgraphy in automotive design and driver's ergonomics investigation is described. The technique is based on generating a characterizing plot for the vehicle's Field of View (FOV). This plot is obtained by projecting a high divergence laser beam from the driver's eyes cyclopean point, on a cylindrical screen installed around the tested vehicle. The resultant shadow-gram is photographed on several shots by a narrow field camera to form a complete panoramic seen for the screen. The panorama is then printed as a plane sheet FOV plot. The obtained plot is used to measure and to analyse the areal visual field, the eye and nick movement ranges in correlation with FOV, the horizontal visual blind zones, the visual maximum vertical angle and other related ergonomic parameters. This work enable comparative FOV testing for many candidate cars to ease the evaluation of the automotive interior design from the ergonomics point of view, and helps car designers to enhance the preventive safety and ergonomics of their designs.