Occupant safety in automated vehicles

Abstract

The introduction of highly automated vehicles will influence occupant seating behavior and seat design, including broader adoption of reclined seating postures. The goal of this study was to perform a preliminary assessment of the usability of two occupant FE models (NHTSA THOR FE, and GHBMC Simplified Occupant) to examine restraint interactions, occupant kinematics, and occupant protection challenges for reclined occupants in frontal collisions. During frontal crash simulations, the GHBMC simplified model tended to exhibit a greater propensity for submarining and greater forward flexion of the lumbar spine compared to the THOR model. These findings will help define needs for occupant protection research for reclined occupants in automated vehicles.