Abstract: A time series myoelectric potential signal is acquired, which is representative of time series activity amount of a muscle of a driver when the driver is performing a driving operation on the vehicle, the muscle being involved in the driving operation. Based on the acquired time series myoelectric potential signal, a parameter value indicative of a fluctuation amount of the time-series myoelectric potential signal and an average value of the myoelectric potential signal are obtained. Drivability of the vehicle is evaluated based on the obtained parameter value and the obtained average value.

Abstract: The vehicle evaluation method and vehicle evaluation apparatus can appropriately and quantitatively evaluate the sense of lateral oscillation of a vehicle. The method and apparatus measure muscle activity waveforms of a pair of left and right muscles in at least one type of skeletal muscle involved in maintaining a posture of a head of an occupant of the vehicle driven under predetermined driving conditions, calculate an amount of simultaneous activity that expresses characteristics of the muscle activity waveforms and evaluate a sense of lateral oscillation of the vehicle based on the amount of simultaneous activity.

Abstract: A steering operation force detection device for a steering wheel including a steering wheel rim having a right-side rim section and a left-side rim section. The device includes load cells that detect six component forces of the steering operation force acting on the right-side rim section and the left-side rim section consisting of forces in three axial directions and moments about three axes. The device includes a steering angle detection sensor that detects a steering angle of the steering wheel, and an inertial force component correcting unit that derives an inertial force component acting on the right-side rim section and the left-side rim section due to rotation of the steering wheel, based on an amount of displacement of the steering angle detected by the steering angle detection sensor, and that corrects the component force detected by the load cells to eliminate an effect of the derived inertial force component.

Abstract: The method and system evaluate driving conditions of a vehicle whereby drivability of the vehicle can be evaluated accurately and objectively. To evaluate drivability of the vehicle under different driving conditions, a plural pieces of driving load information including biological information on a driver and movement information of the vehicle being driven are measured. Then, a group of weighting coefficients as many as or fewer than pieces of the driving load information is selected from groups of weighting coefficients that are set according to representative values of the driving load information in order to use a weighted linear sum of the representative values of the driving load information as an index of an integrated evaluation of the drivability of the vehicle. Subsequently, a weighted linear sum is obtained using the selected group of weighting coefficients and used to perform the integrated evaluation of the drivability under various driving conditions.

Abstract: The selecting method and apparatus for selecting a specific skeletal muscle affected by a psychological state of a person from skeletal muscles of the person apply at least a first stimulus to the person to bring the person into an uncomfortable state, acquire muscle activity information of each of the skeletal muscles when the first stimulus is applied to the person and select the specific skeletal muscle based on the muscle activity information of each of the skeletal muscles by the first stimulus. The stress evaluating method and system acquire the muscle activity information of the person during an operation for the selected specific skeletal muscle selected by the selecting method and apparatus, and evaluate a degree of stress placed on the person during the operation based on the acquired muscle activity information.

Abstract: A plurality of electrode pairs, each of which is constituted by two electrodes of the plurality of biomedical electrodes are set and at least one of an electrical impedance value between two electrodes forming a pair and a resistance value between the two electrodes, for each of the electrode pairs is measured. An attachment state of each of the electrode pairs is judged by comparing the impedance value or the resistance value, with a predetermined range of numeric values. An electrode in an inappropriate attachment state is identified from the plurality of electrode pairs based on the judged attachment state o each of the plurality of electrode pairs.

Abstract: A steering operation force detecting apparatus enabling to know in detail a force or a moment applied to a steering wheel rim (steering wheel) gripped by a driver during steering is provided. A force and a moment applied to each divided portion 11A and 11B of a steering wheel rim 11 are detected by force sensors 21A and 21B. Force applied points FP1 and FP2 of driver's hands which grip the divided portions 11A and 11B of the steering wheel rim 11 are detected by contact sensors 22 and an arithmetic processing section. Also, forces and moments at the force applied points FP1 and FP2 are calculated based on the detection results, and the calculation results are output to a higher-level device. Accordingly, it is possible to know in detail how much force or moment is applied to the force applied points FP1 and FP2 on the steering wheel rim 11 during a steering operation.

Abstract: A steering operation force detection device for a steering wheel including a steering wheel rim having a right-side rim section and a left-side rim section. The device includes load cells that detect six component forces of the steering operation force acting on the right-side rim section and the left-side rim section consisting of forces in three axial directions and moments about three axes. The device includes a steering angle detection sensor that detects a steering angle of the steering wheel, and an inertial force component correcting unit that derives an inertial force component acting on the right-side rim section and the left-side rim section due to rotation of the steering wheel, based on an amount of displacement of the steering angle detected by the steering angle detection sensor, and that corrects the component force detected by the load cells to eliminate an effect of the derived inertial force component.

Abstract: The vehicle evaluation method and vehicle evaluation apparatus can appropriately and quantitatively evaluate the sense of lateral oscillation of a vehicle. The method and apparatus measure muscle activity waveforms of a pair of left and right muscles in at least one type of skeletal muscle involved in maintaining a posture of a head of an occupant of the vehicle driven under predetermined driving conditions, calculate an amount of simultaneous activity that expresses characteristics of the muscle activity waveforms and evaluate a sense of lateral oscillation of the vehicle based on the amount of simultaneous activity.

Abstract: A tire wheel set comprising a front wheel to be attached to a front axle of a vehicle, and a rear wheel to be attached to a rear axle thereof. The front wheel is greater in rigidity than the rear wheel.

Abstract: Different loads are applied to the skeletal muscle of at least one of an upper arm, an upper limb girdle, and a lower limb of the test subject to cause isometric muscle contraction under each load and measure the muscle activity of the skeletal muscle. Then, an upper limit of the muscle activity in a region where a magnitude of the load and an intensity of the muscle activity have a linear relationship is determined as the limit in an appropriate muscle activity range that suits the test subject. Subsequently, the muscle activity of the skeletal muscle of a test subject operating an instrument is measured, and the test subject's force for operating the instrument is evaluated based on a frequency distribution where the frequency of the muscle activity of the skeletal muscle being exercised to operate the instrument is distributed with respect to the obtained limit.

Abstract: A time series myoelectric potential signal is acquired, which is representative of time series activity amount of a muscle of a driver when the driver is performing a driving operation on the vehicle, the muscle being involved in the driving operation. Based on the acquired time series myoelectric potential signal, a parameter value indicative of a fluctuation amount of the time-series myoelectric potential signal and an average value of the myoelectric potential signal are obtained. Drivability of the vehicle is evaluated based on the obtained parameter value and the obtained average value.

Abstract: Different loads are applied to the skeletal muscle of at least one of an upper arm, an upper limb girdle, and a lower limb of the test subject to cause isometric muscle contraction under each load and measure the muscle activity of the skeletal muscle. Then, an upper limit of the muscle activity in a region where a magnitude of the load and an intensity of the muscle activity have a linear relationship is determined as the limit in an appropriate muscle activity range that suits the test subject. Subsequently, the muscle activity of the skeletal muscle of a test subject operating an instrument is measured, and the test subject's force for operating the instrument is evaluated based on a frequency distribution where the frequency of the muscle activity of the skeletal muscle being exercised to operate the instrument is distributed with respect to the obtained limit.

Abstract: A workability evaluating apparatus comprises a myoelectric potential detecting unit, a signal processing unit, an arithmetic operation unit, and an output unit. The myoelectric potential detecting unit detects time-series fluctuations in myoelectric potentials of at least one pair of muscles, which show antagonistic activities while operating equipment among muscles of an operator used to operate the equipment, as myoelectric potential signals. The signal processing unit processes the detected myoelectric potentials. The arithmetic operation unit calculates time-series data of a first correlation coefficient in a specified sampling time between signals obtained by processing the myoelectric potential signals from the pair of antagonistic muscles, and performs evaluation of workability in operating the equipment by using the calculated time-series data. The output unit outputs a result of the performed evaluation.

Abstract: The selecting method and apparatus for selecting a specific skeletal muscle affected by a psychological state of a person from skeletal muscles of the person apply at least a first stimulus to the person to bring the person into an uncomfortable state, acquire muscle activity information of each of the skeletal muscles when the first stimulus is applied to the person and select the specific skeletal muscle based on the muscle activity information of each of the skeletal muscles by the first stimulus. The stress evaluating method and system acquire the muscle activity information of the person during an operation for the selected specific skeletal muscle selected by the selecting method and apparatus, and evaluate a degree of stress placed on the person during the operation based on the acquired muscle activity information.

Abstract: A steering operation force detecting apparatus enabling to know in detail a force or a moment applied to a steering wheel rim (steering wheel) gripped by a driver during steering is provided. A force and a moment applied to each divided portion 11A and 11B of a steering wheel rim 11 are detected by force sensors 21A and 21B. Force applied points FP1 and FP2 of driver's hands which grip the divided portions 11A and 11B of the steering wheel rim 11 are detected by contact sensors 22 and an arithmetic processing section. Also, forces and moments at the force applied points FP1 and FP2 are calculated based on the detection results, and the calculation results are output to a higher-level device. Accordingly, it is possible to know in detail how much force or moment is applied to the force applied points FP1 and FP2 on the steering wheel rim 11 during a steering operation.

Abstract: The driving skill evaluating apparatus is an apparatus that evaluates the driving skill of a driver who drives a vehicle. The evaluating apparatus includes: driver load measurement means for measuring the degree of physical load on the driver in a driving operation activity of the vehicle; driving operation quantity measurement means for measuring the quantity of driving operation performed by the driver for the vehicle in the driving operation activity; and evaluation means for evaluating the driving skill of the driver by using the degree of the physical load on the driver and the quantity of driving operation.

Abstract: Provided is a tire noise reduction device including: a sound absorbing body 2 to be mounted on an inner surface of a tire; an annular band member 3 fixing the sound absorbing body 2 and made of a thermoplastic elastomer composition containing an elastomer dispersed into a thermoplastic resin. With such an annular band member 3 made of the thermoplastic elastomer composition, the sound absorbing body 2 is not separated from the inner surface of a tread portion 5 even when the tire is used in an extremely cold place, and thereby excellent low temperature performances can be obtained.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire, the method enabling a sound-absorbing member to be easily mounted on the tire with an improved fixation of the sound-absorbing member onto an inner surface of the tire. The method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire of the present invention includes the steps of: forming a green tire including an inner liner layer and a sound-absorbing member, the inner liner layer disposed in an inner surface of the tire and made of any one of a thermoplastic resin and a thermoplastic elastomer composition obtained by dispersing an elastomer in a thermoplastic resin, the sound-absorbing member fixed onto the inner liner layer and made of a porous material; and thereafter curing the green tire.

Abstract: The method and system evaluate driving conditions of a vehicle whereby drivability of the vehicle can be evaluated accurately and objectively. To evaluate drivability of the vehicle under different driving conditions, a plural pieces of driving load information including biological information on a driver and movement information of the vehicle being driven are measured. Then, a group of weighting coefficients as many as or fewer than pieces of the driving load information is selected from groups of weighting coefficients that are set according to representative values of the driving load information in order to use a weighted linear sum of the representative values of the driving load information as an index of an integrated evaluation of the drivability of the vehicle. Subsequently, a weighted linear sum is obtained using the selected group of weighting coefficients and used to perform the integrated evaluation of the drivability under various driving conditions.