Skip to main content
Log in

Evaluation of vibrotactile sensation level for vehicle accelerator pedal vibration considering the sensitivity of the foot sole

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Vehicle vibrations cause the physical and mental fatigue, thereby degrading the riding comfort. The vehicle accelerator pedal constantly generates vibrations while driving and is in direct contact with the driver. However, relevant studies on the vibration effects of the accelerator pedal have not been sufficiently conducted. This paper presents a method to evaluate the level of vibrotactile sensation perceived by drivers due to the vehicle accelerator pedal vibration and be able to predict riding comfort. Equivalent comfort contours for foot-transmitted vibrations are derived based on the sensitivity of the foot sole measured through vibrotactile sensation tests. With the equivalent comfort contours, weighting filters for three types of vehicles—conventional gasoline, hybrid, and electric—are generated. Then, weighted vibrations representing the vibrotactile sensation level perceived by drivers from the vehicle accelerator pedal are produced by applying the weighting filters to measured vibration data from the accelerator pedal of each vehicle type.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Y. Zhou and S. Chen, Vehicle ride comfort analysis with whole-body vibration on long-span bridges subjected to crosswind, Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 155 (2016) 126–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. K. J. Chang, J. Jung, H. G. Kim, D. R. Choi and S. Wang, An application of acoustic metamaterial for reducing noise transfer through car body panels, SAE Technical Paper (2018) 2018–01-1566.

  3. H. Du, W. Li and N. Zhang, Semi-active variable stiffness vibration control of vehicle seat suspension using an MR elastomer isolator, Smart Materials and Structures, 20 (10) (2011) 105003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. S. J. Ahn and M. J. Griffin, Effects of frequency, magnitude, damping, and direction on the discomfort of vertical whole-body mechanical shocks, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 311 (1–2) (2008) 485–497.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. S. Nishiyama, N. Uesugi, T. Takeshima, Y. Kano and H. Togii, Research on vibration characteristics between human body and seat, steering wheel, and pedals (effects of seat position on ride comfort), Journal of Sound and Vibration, 236 (1) (2000) 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. G. F. Beard and M. J. Griffin, Discomfort of seated persons exposed to low frequency lateral and roll oscillation: effect of backrest height, Applied Ergonomics, 54 (2016) 51–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. N. Mansfield, G. Sammonds and L. Nguyen, Driver discomfort in vehicle seats-effect of changing road conditions and seat foam composition, Applied Ergonomics, 50 (2015) 153–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Y. Matsumoto and M. J. Griffin, Nonlinear subjective and bio-dynamic responses to continuous and transient whole-body vibration in the vertical direction, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 287 (4–5) (2005) 919–937.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. I. H. Wyllie and M. J. Griffin, Discomfort from sinusoidal oscillation in the pitch and fore-and-aft axes at frequencies between 0.2 and 1.6 Hz, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 324 (1–2) (2009) 453–467.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Z. Zhou and M. J. Griffin, Response of the seated human body to whole-body vertical vibration: biodynamic responses to sinusoidal and random vibration, Ergonomics, 57 (5) (2014) 693–713.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. N. A. A. Jalil and M. J. Griffin, Fore-and-aft transmissibility of backrests: Variation with height above the seat surface and non-linearity, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 299 (1 -2) (2007) 109–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. J. Kekoni, H. Hämäläinen, J. Rautio and T. Tukeva, Mechanical sensibility of the sole of the foot determined with vibratory stimuli of varying frequency, Experimental Brain Research, 78 (2) (1989) 419–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. C. Gu and M. J. Griffin, Vibrotactile thresholds at the sole of the foot: effect of vibration frequency and contact location, Somatosensory and Motor Research, 28 (3–4) (2011) 86–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. M. Morioka, D. J. Whitehouse and M. J. Griffin, Vibrotactile thresholds at the fingertip, volar forearm, large toe, and heel, Somatosensory and Motor Research, 25 (2) (2008) 101–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. M. Morioka and M. J. Griffin, Magnitude-dependence of equivalent comfort contours for fore-and-aft, lateral and vertical whole-body vibration, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 298 (3) (2006) 755–772.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. M. Morioka and M. J. Griffin, Absolute thresholds for the perception of fore-and-aft, lateral, and vertical vibration at the hand, the seat, and the foot, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 314 (1–2) (2008) 357–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. S. Ye, L. Hou, P. Zhang, X. Bu, J. Xiang, H. Tang and J. Lin, Transfer path analysis and its application in low-frequency vibration reduction of steering wheel of a passenger vehicle, Applied Acoustics, 157 (2020) 107021.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. W. S. Yoo, S. D. Na and M. S. Kim, Relationship between subjective and objective evaluations of steering wheel vibration, Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology, 25 (7) (2011) 1695–1701.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Y. Wu, L. N. Boyle and D. V. McGehee, Evaluating variability in foot to pedal movements using functional principal components analysis, Accident Analysis and Prevention, 118 (2018) 146–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. J. T. Song, S. J. Ahn, W. B. Jeong and W. S. Yoo, Subjective absolute discomfort threshold due to idle vibration in passenger vehicles according to sitting posture, International Journal of Automotive Technology, 18 (2) (2017) 293–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. M. J. Griffin, Discomfort from feeling vehicle vibration, Vehicle System Dynamics, 45 (7–8) (2007) 679–698.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. M. Morioka and M. J. Griffin, Equivalent comfort contours for vertical vibration of steering wheels: effect of vibration magnitude, grip force, and hand position, Applied Ergonomics, 40 (5) (2009) 817–825.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. E. Ribot-Ciscar, J. P. Vedel and J. P. Roll, Vibration sensitivity of slowly and rapidly adapting cutaneous mechanoreceptors in the human foot and leg, Neuroscience Letters, 104 (1–2) (1989) 130–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. M. Morioka and M. J. Griffin, Magnitude-dependence of equivalent comfort contours for fore-and-aft, lateral and vertical hand-transmitted vibration, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 295 (3–5) (2006) 633–648.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. M. Morioka and M. J. Griffin, Magnitude-dependence of equivalent comfort contours for fore-and-aft, lateral, and vertical vibration at the foot for seated persons, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 329 (14) (2010) 2939–2952.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Hyundai Motor Company, South Korea, and by the Materials and Components Technology Development Program (20011013), funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE, South Korea).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to No-Cheol Park.

Additional information

Junsun Yoo is a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering at Yonsei University. He received M.S. from Yonsei University in 2018. His research interests include electromagnetic and structural design with vibration analysis in relation to vehicle, military equipment, and vibration isolator.

No-Cheol Park received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from Yonsei University in 1986, 1988, and 1997, respectively. Dr. Park is currently a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Yonsei University. His research interest is in Vibration and Optics.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yoo, J., Lim, S., Kim, W. et al. Evaluation of vibrotactile sensation level for vehicle accelerator pedal vibration considering the sensitivity of the foot sole. J Mech Sci Technol 37, 1207–1221 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-023-0208-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-023-0208-0

Keywords

Navigation