Method and system for wear testing a seat by simulating human seating activity and robotic human body simulator for use therein

A system for wear testing a seat by simulating human seating activity, the system comprising:

• a robot including an arm having a distal end and at least one arm drive for moving the arm;
• a robotic human body simulator connected to the distal end of the arm for wear testing a seat bottom surface and a seat back surface of the seat under test, the simulator including:
• a substantially geometrically-correct, relatively hard and relatively stiff skeletal frame structure having a thoracic cage, a pair of scapulae connected at opposite sides of the thoracic cage, a set of lumbar vertebrae connected to the thoracic cage, a pelvic girdle connected to the lumbar vertebrae, a coccyx connected to the pelvic girdle, a pair of femurs and a pair of ball-and-socket joints for connecting respective femurs to the pelvic girdle;
• elastomeric plastic formed over the skeletal frame structure, the elastomeric plastic having a substantially anatomically-correct, surface geometry, and wherein at least the elastomeric plastic formed over the pelvic girdle, the coccyx and the pair of femurs has mechanical properties of bulk muscular tissue in a state of moderate contraction;
• and
• a plurality of simulator drives adapted to receive drive control signals for moving the thoracic cage and femurs relative to and independent of one another to test wear characteristics of the seat bottom surface and the seat back surface of the seat under test for a plurality of cycles;
• and
• a controller coupled to the at least one arm drive and the plurality of simulator drives and programmed with a control program to generate drive control signals so that the at least one arm drive and the plurality of simulator drives independently move the arm and the thoracic cage and femurs of the simulator, respectively, repeatedly between a withdrawn position and a plurality of seat surface engaging positions to test wear characteristics of the seat bottom surface and the seat back surface for a plurality of cycles.

A robotic human body simulator for wear testing a vehicle seat and adapted to be attached as an end effector of a robot, the simulator comprising:

• a substantially geometrically-correct, relatively hard and relatively stiff skeletal frame structure including:
• a thoracic cage, a pair of scapulae connected at opposite sides of the thoracic cage, a set of lumbar vertebrae connected to the thoracic cage, a pelvic girdle connected to the lumbar vertebrae, a coccyx connected to the pelvic girdle, a pair of femurs and a pair of ball-and-socket joints for connecting respective femurs to the pelvic girdle;
• elastomeric plastic formed over the skeletal frame structure, the elastomeric plastic having a substantially anatomically-correct, surface geometry, and wherein at least the elastomeric plastic formed over the pelvic girdle, the coccyx and the pair of femurs has mechanical properties of bulk muscular tissue in a state of moderate contraction;
• and
• a plurality of simulator drives adapted to receive drive control signals for moving the thoracic cage and femurs relative to and independent of one another to test wear characteristics of a seat bottom surface and a seat back surface of the seat under test for a plurality of cycles.