Effects of operation type and handle shape of the driver controllers of high-speed train on the drivers’ comfort

Author：Beiyuan Guo*, Linzhi Tian, Weining Fang

The design of a high-speed train controller affects the driver’s health, operating performance and even safety. Understanding the effects of the design factors on the physical ergonomics of a high-speed train driver controller is essential for optimizing performance and safety. This study experimentally investigated the role of the operation type and handle shape on the physical ergonomics of a driver controller for a high speed train. Two controllers and six handles with pyriform shape, T-shape, sphere shape, cylinder shape and conical frustum shape were used in the experiment. The results indicated that a controller of the sagittal rotation operation type could significantly reduce the workload of the upper limbs compared to a horizontal rotation operation type controller. The handle shape had significant effect on the wrist angles, hand pressures and subjective assessment scores of upper limb fatigue, wrist discomfort and palm discomfort. The handle shape influenced the wrist angles and hand pressures depending on how the participants held the handle. The results demonstrated that the preferred operation type was rotation in the parasagittal plane and that the handle shape should be convenient for operating with a downward-facing palm posture. Among the tested shapes, the pyriform shape and Tshape were considered to be preferable.

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation of China under Grant 51575037.

REFERENCES：Beiyuan Guo, Linzhi Tian, Weining Fang，Effects of operation type and handle shape of the driver controllers of high-speed train on the drivers’ comfort，International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics，2017.1

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2017.01.003