Device for shortening brake activation reaction time

Abstract

The invention provides an under-thigh support and restrainer for use in combination with a driver's car seat. The device is made in the form of a triangular pillow that is attached to the car seat cushion and supports the driver's leg in a position required for the minimal time needed to move the driver's foot from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal at the moment of danger. The pillow is provided with straps that can be wrapped around the driver's right thigh to restrain the driver's leg in the aforementioned position to allow minimal time for reaching the brake pedal.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to ergonomics, in particular to ergonomics of a vehicle driver as a biomechanical system. More specifically, the invention relates to a combination of a car seat with a thigh-movement restraining means and an under-thigh support for use by a driver of a vehicle in order to shorten brake activation reaction time and to reduce fatigue.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Car crashes now claim more than 40,000 lives each year in the United States, a number that has slowly declined from about 50,000 per year over the last four decades. Automobile crashes are the leading cause of death among people 1 to 34 years of age, accounting for 3.4 million nonfatal injuries annually and costing an estimated 200 billion dollars. Rates of automobile fatalities and injuries per driver and per mile driven have decreased substantially because of safer cars and roads, laws that discourage drunk driving, and other measures, but the absolute toll of au...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017]It is an object of the invention to provide a combination of a car seat with an under-thigh support for shortening brake activation reaction time and for reducing the driver's fatigue. It is another object to provide an under-thigh pillow for a driver of a vehicle that can be placed in the position most optimal for shortening brake activation reaction time. A further object is to provide the aforementioned under-thigh pillow with means for securing the pillow in an appropriate position on the driver's seat and for securing the driver's leg in the position required for minimal braking time. Still another object is to provide an adjustable under-thigh support that is built into the driver's seat.

[0018]The present invention provides an under-thigh support and restrainer for use in combination with a driver's car seat. According to one embodiment of the invention, the device is made in the form of a pillow having a flat lower surface that during use is maintained in contact with the surface of the seat cushion and an upper thigh-supporting surface which in the working position is tapered in the direction from the edge of the seat cushion toward the driver and is used for supporting the driver's thigh and hence the driver's leg in the position required for minimal time from detection of danger to activation of the brakes. The device is intended not only for comfortably supporting the driver's right leg in the aforementioned position but also for maintaining the leg in this position by using restraining means such as snaps, hooks and loops, and, in particular, hook- and loop-type fasteners which are commercially available under the trademark Velcro, or other fasteners that can be easily and automatically disconnected from the leg in case of emergency. The under-thigh pillow of the invention may have the aforementioned hook and loop fasteners on the lower surface if the seat cushion is not made from leather but rather from a material that can be easily engaged with such fasteners. If the seat cushion is made from leather or another smooth material with a low coefficient of friction, the triangular pillow can be used in combination with a seat cushion case that can be easily placed onto the seat cushion and can be made from a material that can be engaged with the Velcro-type straps so that the pillow with the restraining straps can be attached to the cushion case in the position most optimal for shortening the braking time. According to still another embodiment, the under-thigh support pillow is built into the driver's seat and can be maintained in the seat cushion in a hidden position inside the seat cushion with the upper surface of the pillow in the same plane as the surface of the cushion or can be raised to the aforementioned position most optimal for the specific driver with regard to his / her weight, height, and posture. In addition to the functional features associated with optimal conditions for braking, the under-thigh pillow reduces muscle strains and driver fatigue.

Problems solved by technology

It took several decades to install seatbelts in cars.

The auto industry at the time believed that safety would not sell and that emphasis on safety features would scare the public.

In reality, the aforementioned movements are more complicated and may comprise a combination of both movements simultaneously.

However, all of these under-thigh support means relate to ergonomically profiled seats and do not provide positive and adjustable means for finding and securing a position of the leg most optimal for shortening reaction time from the moment the driver sees a danger to the moment of pressing on the brake pedal.

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