利用肌肉骨骼系統動作模擬設計適合高齡者的車輛駕駛座進入空間

Abstract

世界各國普遍都會面臨到高齡化社會的問題，高齡者需藉著擁有足夠的行動能力 (mobility) 來提高晚年生活的品質，而高齡者常會因為生理機能的退化，使得肢體的移動能力降低，影響到自主行動到任何地點的能力，然而，因此駕駛是個方便的選擇。然而，一般轎車駕駛座空間限制多，執行進入車輛 (ingress) 時是具挑戰性的，特別是高齡者常因老化使得關節角度動作範圍降低，因此高齡者被迫降低行動能力的需求。 本研究旨在確立一種新式車體設計建議的流程，遵循本設計流程可提出對特定高齡者友善的特定車輛駕駛座空間設計建議，可針對不同個體來進行客製化車輛駕駛座設計，使得高齡者在進入車輛動作上能夠更輕鬆且不易受到傷害，來符合高齡者在行動能力上的需求。 由一名年輕受測者執行特定進入車輛動作 (lateral sliding strategy) ，同時擷取人體肢段運動學資訊以及兩側下肢各四條肌肉 (股直肌、股外側肌、脛前肌與外側腓腸肌) 的表面肌電訊號來建立並驗證一基準模型，並加上關節角度限制條件，來預測高齡者可能的進入車輛動作，而此動作可能會原有車體空間配置產生人車干涉現象，藉由觀察人車干涉現象並提出改良車體設計建議來解決干涉問題。並擷取了四名年輕男性受測者的下肢肌電訊號來了解這些改良車體設計與動作建議之泛用性。 經由一個案建立之動作模擬顯示，以現有常見之2000cc房車為例，要使特定高齡者易於進入駕駛座，方向盤需與座椅前緣具有至少38%腿長的空間，且降低原有車內底盤約70mm，以及右腳跟在車內踩踏位置需與座椅距離約200-300mm。

Many countries already confront the issue of aging society. The elderly needs enough mobility to raise the quality of their life. Because of age-related physiological declines, the mobility of segments is decreasing and it affects mobility about that the elderly can go everywhere by herself/himself. Therefore, driving would be one convenient option. However, with spatial constraints of the driver’s space of sedans, the ingress motion at the driver’s door is challenging, especially for the elderly who usually has limited range of motion. The objective of this study is to establish a new vehicle design procedure taking into account the performance of the human musculoskeletal system. Following the design procedure can bring forward some suggestion of elder-friendly ingress space design. In the demo case study, one healthy young male subject performed ingress motions with the lateral sliding strategy. Whole-body kinematics and surface electromyography (EMG) of bilateral four leg muscles (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius lateralis) were recorded simultaneously during the ingress motions, and the used to established musculoskeletal model in Anybody Modeling System. By adding joint angle constraints (feasible range of motion) of the elderly, the model was then employed to simulate feasible movements for the elderly during ingress. Since during the simulated ingress motion, the elderly body (model) interfered with the driver’s space, new special design and ingress motion suggestions were provided: about 38%-leg length distance is needed between the steering wheel and the driver’s seat; a 70-mm lower chassis would be better (than a current 2000cc sedan) for the elderly, in terms of efforts in lower extremity muscles during ingress; a good lead-foot placement position is with 200-300mm distance between right heel and the driver’s seat.