REAR SEAT SAFETY IN FRONTAL TO SIDE IMPACTS – FOCUSING ON OCCUPANTS FROM 3YRS TO SMALL ADULTS

ABSTRACT This study presents a broad comprehensive research effort that combines expertise from industry and academia and uses various methodologies with applied research directed towards countermeasures. The project includes real world crash data analysis, real world driving studies and crash testing and simulations, aiming at enhancing the safety of forward facing child occupants (aged 3y to small adults) in the rear seat during frontal to side impacts. The real world crash data analyses of properly restrained children originate from European as well as US data. Frontal and side impact crash tests are analyzed using different sizes of crash test dummies in different sitting postures. Side impact parameter studies using FE-models are run. The sitting posture and behavior of 12 children are monitored while riding in the rear seat. Also, the body kinematics and belt position during actual braking and turning maneuvers are studied for 16 rear seat child occupants and for various child dummies. Real world crash data indicates that several of the injured children in frontal impacts, despite being properly restrained, impacted the vehicle interior structure with their head/face resulting in serious injury. This was attributed to oblique crashes, pre-crash vehicle maneuvers or high crash severity. Crash tests confirm the importance of proper initial belt-fit for best protection. The crash tests also highlight the difficulty in obtaining the real world kinematics and head impact locations using existing crashtest dummies and test procedures. The side impact parameter studies indicate that the vehicle’s occupant protection systems, such as airbags and seat belt pretensioners, play an important role in protecting children as well. The results from the on-road driving studies illustrate the variation of sitting postures during riding in the rear seat giving valuable input to the effects of the restraint systems and to how representative the standardized dummy seating positioning procedures are. The results from the maneuver driving studies illustrate the importance of understanding the kinematics of a child relative to the seat belt in a real world maneuver situation. Real world safety of rear seat occupants, especially children, involves evaluation of protection beyond standard crash testing scenarios in frontal and side impact conditions. This project explores the complete context of rear seat protection in impact situations ranging from front to side and directions in between highlighting the importance of pre-crash posture and behavior. This research project at SAFER (Vehicle and Traffic Safety Centre at Chalmers), where researchers from the industry and universities cooperate with the aim to further improve safety for children (from 3y) to small adults in the rear seat, speeds up the process to safety implementation due to the interaction between academic and industrial researchers

Konsumenters acceptans av insektsbaserade livsmedel i Sverige : En kvantitativ studie

Sammanfattning Bakgrund  År 2050 beräknas jordens befolkning uppgå till omkring nio miljarder människor. Drygt en miljard lever dagligen med akut hungersnöd. För att upprätthålla naturliga levnadsvanor behövs alternativa hållbara livsmedel. Insekter har visat sig vara en god proteinkälla med lägre miljöpåverkan jämfört med andra animalier. Dessutom har de en god sammansättning av aminosyror samt innehåller ett flertal nödvändiga vitaminer och mineraler. Två miljarder människor uppskattas att konsumera insekter frekvent, särskilt i länder kring Asien och Afrika.  Syfte  Syftet med studien var att undersöka konsumenters acceptans av insektsbaserad pasta i Sverige.  Metod  Ett konsumenttest genomfördes med hjälp av webbaserade enkäter. Deltagarna provsmakade tre sorter av industriellt framställd pasta, varav en innehållande mjöl från hussyrsa (Acheta domesticus). Totalt rekryterades 91 individer på BMC vid Uppsala universitet. Insamlad data bearbetades statistiskt, främst via innehållsanalys samt deskriptiv statistik.  Resultat  Konsumenterna uppvisade relativ positivism mot insektsbaserade livsmedel. Ungefär hälften av deltagarna skulle kunna tänka sig att testa livsmedel med insekter, medan drygt en fjärdedel hade kunnat överväga regelbundet konsumtion. Dock upplever en del deltagare att insekter är onödigt, otäckt eller främmande.  Slutsats  Slutsatsen av studien visade att konsumenter i Sverige är bitvis positiva till insektsbaserade livsmedel. Det råder en viss grad osäkerhet kring insekter som föda, främst grundat i okunskap och bristande informationsunderlag. Fler studier behövs för att undersöka fler aspekter kring ämnet

Konsumenters acceptans av insektsbaserade livsmedel i Sverige : En kvantitativ studie

Sammanfattning Bakgrund  År 2050 beräknas jordens befolkning uppgå till omkring nio miljarder människor. Drygt en miljard lever dagligen med akut hungersnöd. För att upprätthålla naturliga levnadsvanor behövs alternativa hållbara livsmedel. Insekter har visat sig vara en god proteinkälla med lägre miljöpåverkan jämfört med andra animalier. Dessutom har de en god sammansättning av aminosyror samt innehåller ett flertal nödvändiga vitaminer och mineraler. Två miljarder människor uppskattas att konsumera insekter frekvent, särskilt i länder kring Asien och Afrika.  Syfte  Syftet med studien var att undersöka konsumenters acceptans av insektsbaserad pasta i Sverige.  Metod  Ett konsumenttest genomfördes med hjälp av webbaserade enkäter. Deltagarna provsmakade tre sorter av industriellt framställd pasta, varav en innehållande mjöl från hussyrsa (Acheta domesticus). Totalt rekryterades 91 individer på BMC vid Uppsala universitet. Insamlad data bearbetades statistiskt, främst via innehållsanalys samt deskriptiv statistik.  Resultat  Konsumenterna uppvisade relativ positivism mot insektsbaserade livsmedel. Ungefär hälften av deltagarna skulle kunna tänka sig att testa livsmedel med insekter, medan drygt en fjärdedel hade kunnat överväga regelbundet konsumtion. Dock upplever en del deltagare att insekter är onödigt, otäckt eller främmande.  Slutsats  Slutsatsen av studien visade att konsumenter i Sverige är bitvis positiva till insektsbaserade livsmedel. Det råder en viss grad osäkerhet kring insekter som föda, främst grundat i okunskap och bristande informationsunderlag. Fler studier behövs för att undersöka fler aspekter kring ämnet

Rear Seat Safety for Children Aged 4-12; Identifying the Real-World Needs Towards Development of Countermeasures

This study summarizes a joint research project aiming to further enhance the safety of booster-seated children (aged 4-12) in the rear seat of passenger cars. The focus is real-world aspects of child safety, comprising the whole context of the vehicle and child restraints, and a variety of crash situations, including pre-crash events.Real children sit in a variety of sitting postures in cars. On-road driving studies show that children take different postures due to comfort, visibility or activities. The results from three studies 18 children in a variety of restraints, showed that for only a portion of the time, they are sitting upright with contact to the seatback, i.e. similar to the standardized crash test dummy position. When using a booster with protruding head side supports the children sit forward leaning more than without, and in a large share of the time, the head is in front of the head side supports.Approximately 40% of the crashes are preceded by evasive maneuvers. When exposing child volunteers to evasive braking they will move forward by up to 0.2m, when shoulder belt remains over the shoulder. Thirty four child volunteers were exposed to evasive braking and steering events, using different types of boosters. Depending of the size of the child and the booster used, they might slide out of the shoulder belt in steering events. In addition, existing child crash test dummies were tested and compared to the volunteer data. The volunteer data was also used to validate an active child Human Body Model, as a first step to develop a tool that can be used for evasive maneuvers.The booster is essential for the child enabling good interaction to the seatbelt. In addition, the vehicle protection systems play an important role for the child protection. Hence, for enhancing real-world safety it is essential to replicate in-vehicle situations. Unfortunately, this is not how child restraints are certified today. This study shows that child crash test dummies benefit from side airbags and advanced seatbelt technologies, and are responsive to changes in sitting postures and crash modes. In addition to the in-crash protective systems evaluated in this study, pioneering maneuver and run-off-road tests with crash test dummies were run to evaluate the effect of an electrical reversible seatbelt retractor (pre-pretensioner) to help keep the occupant in the belt during such an event.International multidisciplinary workshops were held and concluded that future advancements need to be data driven and incorporate multiple disciplines. Engineering advancements should strive towards less complex solutions and the shared responsibility between the child restraint and the vehicle was highlighted.The results from this project contribute to identification and quantification of important real-world needs, as well as evaluation and development of countermeasures. It is concluded, that from a real-world perspective, the vehicle and child restraint should be designed together targeting a range of acceptable common user positions; sitting postures preferably guided by comfort and positive means. Such designs will ensure robust function of the protection systems for these young occupants, and advance the development of countermeasures that protect children in real- world crashes, also including dynamic events prior to a crash

Kinematics and shoulder belt engagement of children on belt-positioning boosters during evasive steering maneuvers

Objective: To increase the protection of child passengers in crashes preceded by evasive steering, understanding of how children interact with the seat belt in such situations is essential. This study aims to quantify child kinematics and describe child-to-restraint interaction during evasive steering maneuvers.Methods: Eighteen child volunteers (aged 5–10) were seated on the rear seat of a passenger vehicle. A professional driver made repeatable sharp turns at 50 km/h. Children were restrained by the seat belt on a booster cushion (BC) and on an integrated booster cushion (IBC). Kinematics of the nasion and upper sternum were analyzed with video tracking software and shoulder belt (SB) engagement and position were evaluated.Results: Children moved laterally inboard, and SB-to-body interaction was influenced by booster and stature. Shorter children displayed initial SB positions closer to the neck with less instances of gap between the SB and the lower torso, resulting in more curved belt paths on the IBC. On the BC, shorter children had less of the SB in contact with the torso and straight belt paths were observed throughout steering. Taller children generally had the SB initially mid-shoulder with less instances of gap, resulting in curved belt paths at initial and maximum displacements on both boosters. Children loaded the shoulder belt by axially rotating their torso into the SB more often on the IBC compared to BC. The SB generally stayed on the shoulder, with 89% of slip-off instances occurring for shorter children on the BC. Shorter children on the BC had the largest average inboard nasion displacement (120 mm). Taller children on the BC had the lowest average inboard displacement of the nasion (100 mm). All children initially displaced on average 90\ua0mm inboard with their upper sternum.Conclusions: Initial SB position on the shoulder and torso differed with booster and stature, which influenced how children engaged with the seat belt during steering. Children with less SB initially in contact with the torso moved laterally behind the belt, resulting in straighter SB paths and outboard motion of the SB on the shoulder (often ending far out or slipped off). When more of the SB was initially in contact with the torso, children tended to engage the SB more, moving with the belt and causing the SB path to become more curved, resulting in less inboard head displacement and less outboard motion of the SB on the shoulder. Enhanced understanding of how evasive steering affects the kinematic response of children provides valuable data for protection of children in real-world situations

Kinematics and Shoulder Belt Engagement of Children on Belt-Positioning Boosters during Emergency Braking Events

Emergency braking can influence children’s posture and seatbelt interaction. To better protect children in crashes preceded by emergency braking, this study a ims to quantify kinematics and seatbelt engagement during braking events . Eighteen rear‐seated children were exposed to braking events with 1 g deceleration in a passenger vehi cle, restrained by the seatbelt on a booster cushion and an integrated booster cushion. Vehicle acceleration and video data were analysed to m easure head displacement and shoulder belt position. On the booster cushion the belt was generally mid‐sho ulder and lower on the torso with a gap, while on the integrated booster cushion i t was closer to the neck and hi gher on the torso without a gap. Average forward head displacement was 160 mm on the booster cushion and 150 mm on the integrated booster cushion. Generally, the belt maintained the same position on the shoulde r throughout braking, with exceptions influenced by shifted initial positions or non‐standard motions. Braking e vents placed the head approximately 150‐190 mm forward from the initial position, influenced by booster, statu re, and initial seatbelt positioning. This reinforces the importance of maintaining mid‐shoulder or close to neck bel t positions and upright, centred postures prior to emergency braking, which may influence the likelihood of imp acting the vehicle interior and sustaining head injuries in a subsequent crash

KINEMATICS AND SHOULDER BELT ENGAGEMENT OF CHILDREN ON BELT-POSITIONING BOOSTERS DURING EVASIVE STEERING MANEUVERS

Objective: To increase the protection of child passengers in crashes preceded by evasive steering, understanding of how children interact with the seatbelt in such situations is essential. This study aims to quantify child kinematics and describe child-to-restraint interaction during evasive steering maneuvers. Methods: Eighteen child volunteers (aged 5-10) were seated on the rear seat of a passenger vehicle. A professional driver made repeatable sharp turns at 50 km/h. Children were restrained by the seatbelt on a booster cushion (BC) and on an integrated booster cushion (IBC). Kinematics of the nasion and upper sternum were analyzed with video tracking software and shoulder belt (SB) engagement and position were evaluated.Results: Children moved laterally inboard, and SB-to-body interaction was influenced by booster and stature. For shorter children, the SB was closer to the neck with more of the belt webbing in contact with the torso and a more curved belt paths on the IBC compared to the BC, where less of the SB was in contact with the torso and straight belt paths were observed throughout steering. Taller children generally had the SB initially mid-shoulder with more contact between the SB and torso, resulting in curved belt paths at initial and maximum displacement on both boosters. Children loaded the shoulder belt by axially rotating their torso into the SB more often on the IBC compared to BC. The SB generally stayed on the shoulder, with 89% of slip-off instances occurring for shorter children on the BC. Shorter children on the BC had the largest average inboard nasion displacement of 105 mm initially and 120 mm overall. Taller children on the BC had the lowest average inboard displacement of the nasion (85 mm initially, 100 mm overall). All children initially displaced on average between 65-75 mm inboard with their sternum and 90 mm overall. Conclusions: Initial SB position on the shoulder and torso differed with booster and stature, which influenced how children engaged with the seatbelt during steering. Children with less SB initially in contact with the torso moved laterally behind the belt, resulting in straighter SB paths and outboard motion of the SB on the shoulder (often ending far out or slipped-off). When more of the SB was initially in contact with the torso, children tended to engage the SB more, moving with the belt and causing the SB path to become more curved, resulting in less inboard head displacement and less outboard motion of the SB on the shoulder. Enhanced understanding of how evasive steering affects the kinematic response of children provides valuable data for protection of children in real world situations

REAR SEAT SAFETY IN FRONTAL TO SIDE IMPACTS – FOCUSING ON OCCUPANTS FROM 3YRS TO SMALL ADULTS

ABSTRACTThis study presents a broad comprehensiveresearch effort that combines expertise fromindustry and academia and uses variousmethodologies with applied research directedtowards countermeasures. The project includesreal world crash data analysis, real world drivingstudies and crash testing and simulations,aiming at enhancing the safety of forward facingchild occupants (aged 3y to small adults) in therear seat during frontal to side impacts.The real world crash data analyses of properlyrestrained children originate from European aswell as US data. Frontal and side impact crashtests are analyzed using different sizes of crashtest dummies in different sitting postures. Sideimpact parameter studies using FE-models arerun. The sitting posture and behavior of 12children are monitored while riding in the rearseat. Also, the body kinematics and belt positionduring actual braking and turning maneuvers arestudied for 16 rear seat child occupants and forvarious child dummies.Real world crash data indicates that several ofthe injured children in frontal impacts, despitebeing properly restrained, impacted the vehicleinterior structure with their head/face resulting inserious injury. This was attributed to obliquecrashes, pre-crash vehicle maneuvers or highcrash severity. Crash tests confirm theimportance of proper initial belt-fit for bestprotection. The crash tests also highlight thedifficulty in obtaining the real world kinematicsand head impact locations using existing crashtest dummies and test procedures. The sideimpact parameter studies indicate that thevehicle’s occupant protection systems, such asairbags and seat belt pretensioners, play animportant role in protecting children as well.The results from the on-road driving studiesillustrate the variation of sitting postures duringriding in the rear seat giving valuable input to theeffects of the restraint systems and to howrepresentative the standardized dummy seatingpositioning procedures are. The results from themaneuver driving studies illustrate theimportance of understanding the kinematics of achild relative to the seat belt in a real worldmaneuver situation.Real world safety of rear seat occupants,especially children, involves evaluation ofprotection beyond standard crash testingscenarios in frontal and side impact conditions.This project explores the complete context ofrear seat protection in impact situations rangingfrom front to side and directions in betweenhighlighting the importance of pre-crash postureand behavior.This research project at SAFER (Vehicle andTraffic Safety Centre at Chalmers), whereresearchers from the industry and universitiescooperate with the aim to further improve safetyfor children (from 3y) to small adults in the rearseat, speeds up the process to safetyimplementation due to the interaction betweenacademic and industrial researchers

Kinematics and shoulder belt engagement of children on belt-positioning boosters during evasive steering maneuvers

<p><b>Objective:</b> To increase the protection of child passengers in crashes preceded by evasive steering, understanding of how children interact with the seat belt in such situations is essential. This study aims to quantify child kinematics and describe child-to-restraint interaction during evasive steering maneuvers.</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> Eighteen child volunteers (aged 5–10) were seated on the rear seat of a passenger vehicle. A professional driver made repeatable sharp turns at 50 km/h. Children were restrained by the seat belt on a booster cushion (BC) and on an integrated booster cushion (IBC). Kinematics of the nasion and upper sternum were analyzed with video tracking software and shoulder belt (SB) engagement and position were evaluated.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> Children moved laterally inboard, and SB-to-body interaction was influenced by booster and stature. Shorter children displayed initial SB positions closer to the neck with less instances of gap between the SB and the lower torso, resulting in more curved belt paths on the IBC. On the BC, shorter children had less of the SB in contact with the torso and straight belt paths were observed throughout steering. Taller children generally had the SB initially mid-shoulder with less instances of gap, resulting in curved belt paths at initial and maximum displacements on both boosters. Children loaded the shoulder belt by axially rotating their torso into the SB more often on the IBC compared to BC. The SB generally stayed on the shoulder, with 89% of slip-off instances occurring for shorter children on the BC. Shorter children on the BC had the largest average inboard nasion displacement (120 mm). Taller children on the BC had the lowest average inboard displacement of the nasion (100 mm). All children initially displaced on average 90 mm inboard with their upper sternum.</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> Initial SB position on the shoulder and torso differed with booster and stature, which influenced how children engaged with the seat belt during steering. Children with less SB initially in contact with the torso moved laterally behind the belt, resulting in straighter SB paths and outboard motion of the SB on the shoulder (often ending far out or slipped off). When more of the SB was initially in contact with the torso, children tended to engage the SB more, moving with the belt and causing the SB path to become more curved, resulting in less inboard head displacement and less outboard motion of the SB on the shoulder. Enhanced understanding of how evasive steering affects the kinematic response of children provides valuable data for protection of children in real-world situations.</p