Experimental Study and Thermal Modeling of an Automobile Driver with a Heated and Ventilated Seat

Abstract

<div class="htmlview paragraph">This paper presents mathematical models of thermal interactions among an automobile passenger, the cabin environment, and a heated/ventilated seat. The model, which has the ability to predict the transient response of a driver in a highly non-uniform thermal environment, has been tested against subjective evaluations under simulated winter and summer driving conditions. The good agreement between model predictions and experimental measurements suggests that such a model can be a useful predictive tool in the design of a passenger thermal comfort system.</div>