Abstract
This paper presents the method by which a multi-segmental human
thermoregulation model and a thermal sensation model were adapted to predict human
comfort in a thermal simulation of a vehicle passenger compartment.
The thermoregulation model was modified to calculate tissue temperatures for a human body
described by a surface mesh. A mesh is essential to the calculation and application of non-uniform
boundary conditions (solar loading, radiation, conduction and convection) present in
a vehicle passenger compartment. Temperatures calculated by the modified thermoregulation
model were subsequently used in a mathematical model for predicting thermal sensation. The
resulting thermal comfort model was validated by comparing the predicted thermal sensation
of a sedentary passenger in a range of mild, steady-state environments to the corresponding
Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) associated with each environment.
The process for predicting human comfort is discussed including the generation of a mesh of
suitable fidelity, the implementation of the thermoregulation model and the determination of
localized clothing resistance values from whole-body values.
Keywords - Thermoregulation, comfort, clothing, simulation, human