Ergonomic Design of Warning Control in Passenger Car Based on Response Time and Preference

반응시간과 선호도를 고려한 승용차 Warning Control 의 인간공학적 설계

Warning control is one of the most important components in driver's cabin for achieving safe driving. The purpose of this study is to suggest ergonomically optimal location and type of passenger car's warning control. An experiment was conducted using driving simulator, in which nine locations and two types of warning controls -push button, rocker switch- were employed as experimental variables, and response time for warning signal and preference for locations and types of warning controls were measured as dependent variables. The results showed that response time for warning signal was the shortest when warning control was located at the middle left corner of the center fascia, and was the second at the middle center of the center fascia. Preference for warning signal was the highest at the middle left comer of the center fascia, and was the second between the steering wheel column and the center fascia. Although push button was not preferred to rocker switch, response time was shorter for push button than for rocker switch. It was suggested from these results that warning control with the type of push button should he located at among the middle left corner of the center fascia, the middle center of the center fascia, and between the steering wheel column and the center fascia.