SBIR Phase I: Quasi- Semi-Active Seats (QSAS) for Heavy Machinery

SBIR 第一阶段：重型机械的准半主动座椅 (QSAS)

• 批准号: 1819917
• 负责人: Varun Chalasani
• 金额: $ 22.5万
• 依托单位: ACTIBIOMOTION, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-06-15 至 2020-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1819917&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Quasi; Semi; Active

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project focused on a novel seat design that reduces vehicle-based whole-body vibration and shock will 1) better protect human health while 2) addressing major transportation markets including trucking, agriculture, construction, military vehicles, and mass transit, as well as automobiles and water-/land-based recreational vehicles. The envisioned socio-economic impact is significant: Continual exposure to whole-body vibration and shocks can cause discomfort, reduction in work performance, and chronic low-back pain for vehicle operators and passengers. Low-back pain is the largest component of disability among all occupational-related injuries. Though so-called "active" seats can help reduce these vibrations/shocks, their high cost is a major barrier. The low-cost seats being pursued here could benefit millions of vehicle operators. The work will also result in a greater scientific and technological understanding of the sources/effects of and potential remedies for whole-body vibration and shock. The suspension system market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.11%, by value, from 2016 to 2021. The market is expected to grow from USD 52.38 Billion in 2015 to USD 67.22 Billion by 2021. The market for bus seats alone is expected to be at $10.03 Billion by the year 2022.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is focused on the feasibility of a quasi-semi-active seat (QSAS) technology. Seating design for heavy equipment and vehicle operators has faced a trade-off between performance and cost. The most-complex 'active seats' reduce vibration but are cost-prohibitive at $3,500. Semi-active seats are simplified active seats and perform better than passive seats, but still magnify input vibration and cost several thousand dollars. Passive seats are the least expensive, but they magnify input vibration at low frequencies. Recent design/material advances and strong preliminary data set the stage for developing an innovative passive seat at a fraction of the cost of semi-active seats that will reduce input vibration at low frequencies. Phase I feasibility will be shown using sliding friction to mitigate vibration at low frequency. A QSAS prototype will be built and used to show potential in laboratory and field settings. Technical challenges will involve material selection that will show maximum vibration mitigation and dissipation, as well as integration of the cushion with a suspension system that can handle the weight of a seated person. The research will determine effective performance parameters under different magnitudes and frequencies of vibration that simulate realistic operational conditions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力集中在一种新颖的座椅设计上，该设计可减少车辆的全身振动和冲击，将 1) 更好地保护人类健康，同时 2) 满足主要运输市场的需求，包括卡车运输、农业、建筑、军用车辆和公共交通，以及汽车和水上/陆上休闲车辆。 预期的社会经济影响是巨大的：持续遭受全身振动和冲击可能会导致车辆操作员和乘客感到不适、工作表现下降以及慢性腰痛。 在所有职业相关伤害中，腰痛是造成残疾的最大原因。尽管所谓的“主动”座椅可以帮助减少这些振动/冲击，但其高成本是一个主要障碍。这里追求的低成本座椅可以使数百万车辆运营商受益。这项工作还将带来对全身振动和冲击的来源/影响以及潜在补救措施的更深入的科学和技术理解。预计从 2016 年到 2021 年，悬架系统市场的复合年增长率为 5.11%。该市场预计将从 2015 年的 523.8 亿美元增长到 2021 年的 672.2 亿美元。到 2022 年，仅公交车座椅的市场预计将达到 100.3 亿美元。该小型企业创新研究 (SBIR) 第一阶段项目的重点是关于a的可行性 准半主动座椅（QSAS）技术。 重型设备和车辆操作员的座椅设计面临着性能和成本之间的权衡。最复杂的“主动座椅”可以减少振动，但成本却高达 3,500 美元。半主动座椅是主动座椅的简化版，性能比被动座椅好，但仍会放大输入振动，且价格数千美元。被动座椅是最便宜的，但它们会放大低频的输入振动。 最近的设计/材料进步和强大的初步数据为开发创新型被动座椅奠定了基础，其成本仅为半主动座椅的一小部分，可减少低频输入振动。第一阶段的可行性将通过使用滑动摩擦来减轻低频振动来展示。 将构建 QSAS 原型并用于展示其在实验室和现场环境中的潜力。 技术挑战将涉及材料的选择，以最大限度地减轻和消散振动，以及将坐垫与能够承受坐着的人的重量的悬挂系统集成。该研究将确定模拟实际操作条件的不同振动幅度和频率下的有效性能参数。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。