The effectiveness of seat belts depends largely on the extent to which their geometric design matches the occupants' anatomical characteristics. Transport Canada research into seat belt fit requirements culminated in the design of a Belt Fit Test Device (BTD), a full-scale model representing 50th percentile Canadian adult and based on the H-Point Machine. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of developing an electronic representation of the GTD that could be used by manufacturers for restraint system design and certification. The project was not fully realized due to difficulties in obtaining suitable 3-D digital representations of automobile seats. However, the study demonstrated that seat belt design can be accurately assessed for proper fit using computer models. (A)
Abstract