Developing biomechanical human models for ergonomic assessment of automotive controls : application to clutch pedal

This thesis takes place in the context of the development of digital human models forergonomic assessment of vehicle design, particularly automotive controls. It aims to developbiomechanical models that can take into account the dynamics of movement and the forceexerted during a task to predict the movement and the associated discomfort. This workfocused on the clutch pedal.For the development of the discomfort criteria, the concept of neutral movement is explored.An approach, based on comparing imposed pedal configurations and less constrained pedalconfigurations movements, has been proposed. It allowed the identification of relevantbiomechanical parameters and to propose indicators of discomfort for the design of the clutchpedal.The relationships between posture and force exertion were studied experimentally by varyingthe level of force exerted on a static pedal. Our results show that the direction of forceexertion and the postural adjustment follow the principle of minimization of joint torques.Furthermore, the use of a criterion for minimizing muscle activity showed an improvement inpredicting the direction of effort for the low and intermediate force levels.Discomfort indicators proposed in this study provide objective information that allows designengineers to compare design alternatives. Work on the control mechanisms of force exertionand posture is, in turn, a first step towards the simulation of posture/movement by taking intoaccount force exertion.