ERL, Ergonomic Research Laboratory

March 29, 2024
 
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ERL Human Body Models

ERL, LLC recognized that the automotive industry creates seat designs for supporting "slumped" postures.   To rectify this design problem for comfort, ERL, LLC created nine human body models (shown below) that represent the range of body sizes from small female to large male sitting in three different back postures: erect, neutral, and slumped.   The resulting population contains ten occupants that the ERL software designs the seat to accommodate for both comfort and ergonomics, and SgRP compliance.   ERL has used this population mix to design and evaluate seat designs in over 60 vehicle programs for a global OEM.

The automotive industry developed a human body model that was adopted by SAE in the 1960s to serve as a standard representative of the automotive adult occupant in reporting the dimensions of the interior and seat.
Over the years, this human body model (i.e. Oscar) became a design standard because of its association with the Seating Reference Point (SgRP).   This point became the standard for all seats, in the form of an H-point test.   Consequently, the H-point machine became the design standard used by seat suppliers, and iterative rides with drivers and passengers sitting in the seat were used to evaluate the seat for comfort.



Protected by US Patent No. 6840125, 7047831, 7347114 and German Patent No. 1019693

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