Detta examensarbete är genomfört i samarbete med Thorbjörn Birging. Birging arbetar med RFID[1] och är även VD för CombiQ på Science Park i Jönköping. Under lång tid har han velat skapa en produkt som hjälper människor med sömnproblem, depression, ångest och stress. Författarens roll som ingenjörsstudent blev att utveckla hans ide till en färdig produkt. Birging upptäckte efter att ha läst en artikel om sömnproblem att det finns studier som visar att det är enklare att somna med ett svagt ljud i rummet för att andra personer i rummet inte skall störas. Birging fokuserade på att skapa en ny ljudkudde med denna teori som grund.  Målet med detta examensarbete blev att skapa en kudde med fokus på utmärkt stereoljud som hjälpredskap för människor med sömnproblem. Med ljudets användning blir insomningen betydligt lättare. Många människor söker hjälp för sina problem på sjukhus, men ofta får de bara recept på lugnande och antidepressiva mediciner. Ett annat problem med sömntabletter är risken för att utveckla ett beroende och en längre tids användning av medicinerna kan störa kroppens normala sömnfunktion, vilket läkaren Anders Isaksson som driver en privatklinik i Örebro kan intyga. Birging har haft kontakt med Anders under detta arbete och kan intyga detta.  Ett sätt att lindra sömnproblem är genom att patienten får lyssna till lugnande musik före insomnandet, vilket alltså är tanken med denna kudde. Författaren genomförde en undersökning för att ta reda på vad som är bra och dåligt med dagens ljudkuddar. En idégenerering och kravspecifikation påbörjades med hjälp av Birging. För att kunna veta vad kunderna önskar sig med denna nya produkt gjordes bland annat en designbrief, funktionsanalys och en QFD-matris. Designbriefen skapades både verbalt och visuellt för att se hur den nya produkten skall se ut på markanden. QFD-matrisen rangordnar kraven och konkurrenternas kuddar i förhållande till Birgings krav på den nya prototypen. QFD ger inte svar på vad kunden får för upplevelse med produkten vilket designbriefen kan åstadkomma. Konstruerandet av prototypen kan börja först när designbriefen och funktionsanalysen är klara. Materialvalet gjordes genom testfaser som ljudåtergivning och komfort. Skumplast materialen kommer ifrån Recticel AB i Gislaved och ett intresse för denna nya produkt finns i den framtida utvecklingen.  Denna nya produkt blev betydligt bättre än de ljudkuddar som finns på marknaden. Den nya produkten har egenskaper som tryckavlastning samt bättre ljudkvalitet vilket innebär att volymen inte behöver vara hög, vilket gör att omgivningen inte störs. Orsaken till att ljudet inte stör är att spridningen av ljudet mestadels riktas upp mot användaren. Kuddens mått är B50*H40*T5 cm innebär att man enkelt kan köpa vanliga örngott och att den inte ta onödig plats i sängen. [1] Radio Frequency IDentification / This exam is done with the cooperation of Thorbjörn Birging. Birging does work with RFID[1] and he is also CEO at CombiQ at Science Park in Jönköping. For a long time he wanted to make an innovation to help people with sleeping problems, depression, anxiety and stress. The author’s role as an engineer student where to make his idea come true from scratch to prototype. Birging discovered after reading an article about sleeping problems that there were studies which showed that it is easier to sleep with a faint sound in the room so other people in the room does not get disturbed. Birging then focused to create a new pillow with sound integrated that should stand out from today’s pillows.  The goal with this exam was to create a pillow with excellent stereo sound with amplifiers, which help peoples sleeping problems. Many people with these problems seek help at hospitals, but they only get prescriptions for tranquillizer and anti-depressive pills. Another issue with sleeping pills is the risk of getting addicted and long time use might disturb the normal sleeping function, which Anders Isaksson can confirm. Birging He runs a private clinic in Örebro and has helped Birging in a previous project. Birging has been in contact with Anders under this project and can confirm this statement.  One way of relive sleeping problems might be to let the patient listen to calming music before the sleep period begins, which is the idea for this project. The author did an investigation to find any positives or negatives in today’s pillows with sound ability. Idea generating and require specification started soon after this with help of Birging. To know what the customers want with this new product a designbrief, function analytic and a QFD-matrix. The designbrief where made both verbal and visual to know how the product should look like as a customer. With the QFD-matrix we can rank the preferences with the competitors pillows in relation to Birgings requirements on the new prototype. The QFD doesn’t give any answers how the customer experience the product that the designbrief can accomplish. A prototype construction can only begin when the designbrief and function analytic are finished. The material selection was made by different test-phases with sound and comfort. Recticel AB in Gislaved has provided the author with different types of foam for the pillow and for this new product there is an interest to follow the development in the future.   The new developed product did manage to become better than the competitor’s pillows in many ways. The new product is pressure relieving, gives better sound which means the volume does not have to be high, and disturbance in the surroundings is minimized. The reason is that the material does spread the sound waves straight upwards the users ears. The pillows measurement are B50*H40*T5, that means you can have much space in bed and easy find a standard pillowcase. The user will get a comfortably sleeping period the entire night with this new product. [1] Radio Frequency IDentification

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to seek understanding, describe and analyse how auditors practically reassure and maintain their independence towards clients. Methodology: The study is conducted with a qualitative method with a deductive approach. The study is based on interviews with both experienced and recently graduated auditors. Conclusion: Our empirical results show that there are economical incentives that contradict the requirements to fulfil the auditor’s independence. The conclusion is that the media view is narrow and biased. Furthermore the auditors agree that an acceptable level of comfort is achieved by offering a high value, being a part of a large network of professionals and the ability to set materiality and evaluate risks.

The demands for ride comfort quality in today's long haulage trucks are constantly growing. A part of the ride comfort problems are represented by internal vibrations caused by rotating mechanical parts. This thesis work focus on the vibrations generated from radial runout on the wheels. These long haulage trucks travel long distances on smooth highways, with a constant speed of 90 km/h resulting in a 7 Hz oscillation. This frequency creates vibrations in the cab, which can be found annoying. To help out with the vibration diagnosis when a truck enters a mechanical workshop, this work studies methods for radial runout detection using the wheel speed sensors. The main idea is to represent the varying radius signal with a sinusoid, where the calculations are based on Fourier series. The estimated radial runout value is then the amplitude of the sinusoid. In addition to the detection part, the work also present results regarding how the relative phase difference between two wheels with radial runout effects the lateral motion of the cab. This thesis work was performed at Scania CV AB in Södertälje, Sweden and all measurements have been full scale experiments on real trucks.

Introduction: Although several studies have examined self-regulatory practices in older drivers, most have relied on self-report. Blanchard (2008) was the first to examine actual driving patterns more objectively (using in-vehicle devices), and the associations between driver perceptions and self-regulatory practices. However, her sample of older drivers living in Southwestern Ontario was only monitored for one week between June and October. Winter conditions in northern climates appear to influence the driving patterns of older adults, however the only evidence to date is based on self-report (e.g., Sabback & Mann, 2005). Purposes: The aims of the thesis were to: 1) replicate Blanchard’s findings on the associations between driver perceptions and self-regulatory practices in older drivers; and 2) extend this investigation by examining driving over a longer monitoring period in the winter. Methods: A convenience sample of 47 drivers aged 65 to 91 (49% female) from Southwestern Ontario was monitored for two consecutive weeks between late November and March. Driving data was collected using two electronic devices (one with GPS), which were installed at the first of two home visits. Information on weather and road conditions was collected from archives and descriptions in participant trip logs. Participants completed questionnaires concerning background and usual driving habits. Driver perceptions were assessed using the Driving Comfort (DCS) and Perceived Driving Abilities (PDA) scales, while self-reported usual practices were examined using the Situational Driving Frequency (SDF) and Avoidance (SDA) scales. Functional driving-related abilities were assessed using the AAA/CAA’s Roadwise Review and interviews were conducted at the second home visit, at which point devices were removed and trip logs collected. Results: Driver perceptions (particularly night comfort) were significantly related to multiple indictors of driving (distance, duration, radius from home and night driving) in the expected directions. Men had higher comfort scores and better perceptions of their driving abilities and concurrently drove more often, greater distances and further from home. Participants drove on average five days a week over the winter monitoring period. Over half the 94-day monitoring period had inclement weather, while 67% of the period had poor road conditions. Nonetheless, all 46 participants drove at least once in bad weather and 73% did so in darkness. Distance driven at night varied by month of participation, with people driving more at night during December (average 50 km), compared to March (average of only 13 km). Those with lower daytime comfort scores (>50%) scores drove less on days with inclement weather (p=.03). The sample was also more likely to make social trips on clear days (p=.002) and out-of-town trips on days with good road conditions (p=.02). Conclusions: The study replicated Blanchard’s (2008) findings that driver perceptions are strongly associated with actual behaviour, regardless of the season. And both studies indicate that older drivers may not self-regulate as much as they say they do on avoidance questionnaires. Driving was fairly consistent over the two weeks, except for radius and night distance and the additional week of monitoring was more likely to capture night driving. Nonetheless, the present study provides only a snapshot of behaviour and findings should not be generalized beyond urban dwelling, well-educated, healthy and active older drivers from one part of Canada. Further studies, with larger more diverse samples (living in different regions) and longer monitoring periods, are required to advance our knowledge of self-regulatory practices in older drivers and related decision-making processes.

The main objectives of this thesis are to determine if the addition of an energy wheel in an HVAC system can improve the indoor air relative humidity (RH), and perceived air quality (PAQ), as well as reduce energy consumption. An energy wheel is an air-to-air energy exchanger that transfers heat and moisture between the outdoor air entering and the exhaust air leaving a building. This thesis uses the TRNSYS computer package to model two buildings (an office and a school) in four different cities (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Vancouver, British Columbia; Tampa, Florida and Phoenix, Arizona).<p>The results with and without an energy wheel are compared to see if the energy wheel has a significant impact on the RH and PAQ in the buildings. The energy wheel reduces peak RH levels in Tampa, (up to 15% RH), which is a humid climate, but has a smaller effect on the indoor RH in Saskatoon (up to 4% RH) and Phoenix (up to 11% RH), which are dry climates. The energy wheel also reduces the number of people that are dissatisfied with the PAQ within the space by up to 17% in Tampa. <p>The addition of the energy wheel to the HVAC system creates a reduction in the total energy consumed by the HVAC system in Saskatoon, Phoenix and Tampa (2% in each city). There is a significant reduction in the size of the heating equipment in Saskatoon (26%) and in the size of the cooling equipment in Phoenix (18%) and Tampa (17%). A cost analysis shows that the HVAC system including an energy wheel has the least life-cycle costs in these three cities, with savings of up to 6%. In Vancouver, the energy wheel has a negligible impact on the indoor RH, PAQ and energy consumption.

This thesis is focused on two aspects related to wheeled mobility: 1) Evaluating the impact of a new tire design on powered mobility, and 2) Instrumentation that permits better monitoring and assessment of wheeled mobility in everyday use. The Tweel technology tires developed by Michelin USA are comprised of an outer polyurethane ring supported by polyurethane fins instead of metal spokes, which allow the tire to deflect under pressure. As a wheelchair tire they offer a potential breakthrough as they have deflection properties similar to a pneumatic tire while maintaining the low maintenance of a solid foam-core tire. A study was conducted to compare the Tweel technology tires to standard solid foam-core tires for vibration transmission, traction and overall life span. The Tweel technology tires failed produce any significant difference in vibration transmitted to the user compared to solid foam-core tires. Additionally, the Tweel technology tires showed significant signs of deterioration after a month long field trial, thus indicating a short life span. However, Tweel technology tires provided better traction on both dry and wet concrete. Overall, Tweel technology tires have to be re-engineered to provide better damping properties, leading to lower vibrational levels transmitted to the user. The second section this thesis addressed the need to develop a methodology of measuring mobility in everyday usage. This section is part of a greater ongoing research project at CATEA (Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access) aimed at understanding everyday wheelchair usage. Methodology was developed to measure bouts of mobility that characterize wheelchair usage; which includes the number of starts, stops, turns and distance traveled through the day. Three different technologies which included, Accelerometer unit on the rim of the drive wheel, Gyro-Accelerometer unit on the frame of the chair and Reed switches, were tested. Testing included various criteria for accuracy, durability and compatibility for measuring bouts of everyday wheeled mobility. Although a single technology could not be used to measure all aspects of mobility, the Accelerometer unit on the rim met the design criteria for measuring starts stops and distance, while the Gyro-Accelerometer unit met the requirements for measuring turns.

The exhausting fossil fuels have stimulated heating researches on alternative renewable energy, as well as energy friendly studies. In a country like Taiwan, with high density on population and buildings, fresh cold air are supplied by either fan-coil units or air-condition units. However, with the lack of intelligent control and poor justification on thermal comfort, these machines failed to provide optimal thermal comfort, a situation that always leads to "excessive control" and energy waste as a consequence. Optimal thermal comfort is pursued by using PMV fuzzy control theory, along with thermal comfort monitoring system derived from LabView icon-control software. Thermal Comfort indices such as Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percent of Dissatisfied (PPD) according to the ISO 7730 are used as indicators of thermal comfort.Sensors, conscious of variations in humidity and temperatures, can figure out PMV and PPD via LabView Online Real Time calculation, and then we can control the environment comfort around PMV=1 next by using fuzzy control theory as well as energy efficient equipment such as AC stepless fans and AC stepless heaters. Many comfort simulation cases, comfort simulation with random humidity and temperatures, and a 12-hour automatic control, were presented as three testing items to check whether PMV FUZZY algorithm is competitive in fixing the environment thermal comfort around PMV=1. The confirmation of this question can be proved by this empirical study.

The visual domain design constitutes the general designers communication basis for communicating messages of product attributes. In the design of an automobile seat where mainly the accommodating functions remain constant, an automobile seat&rsquo / s &ldquo / style&rdquo / affords the ability to provide certain meanings with affective connotations. Treating style aesthetics as a source of information, the communication of &ldquo / comfort&rdquo / can be provided via forms and other attributes. The literature provides strong evidence that comfort is related with aesthetics of any object in use, especially creating expectations towards the product. The &ldquo / Aesthetics of comfort&rdquo / can be explained as a variable intensity &ldquo / feeling&rdquo / or &ldquo / attitude&rdquo / regarding an entity of factors or characteristics of a multidimensional construct. Implemented by different layouts and cues, the consumer should be assisted in understanding the qualities of an automobile seat, such as comfort. As a result of the field study conducted, significant difference was found to exist in between the perception of visual comfort three production seat designs. A positive attitude about comfort towards an automobile seat was found to be influential in positively effecting the perception of seated comfort.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of environmental design parameters on thermal comfort conditions in the METU Faculty of Architecture Building located in Ankara. The building had some problems in terms of indoor climatic conditions, both in winter and in summer. It was evident that some design parameters caused this undesirable situation. The study therefore focused on understanding and evaluating the effects of design-dependent elements such as thermal mass, the size and orientation of windows, shading and vegetation on thermal comfort conditions in the case study building. While conducting this study, data loggers were used to record temperature and humidity data in predetermined rooms. Data was collected during certain periods in July, August, and September 2006. The data collected was analyzed statistically and hypotheses were tested using ANOVA. This study showed that the effect of thermal mass was almost the same for the rooms investigated owing to the fact that the entire building had been constructed with concrete curtain walls. In terms of thermal performance the number and orientation of the exterior walls, orientation and size of windows, room heights and also sun shading with surrounding vegetation were most effective design parameters for the rooms investigated

In Turkey, big investments are made to improve the existing train lines for use of new high speed trains. Most of the bridges on the existing train lines are typical and in this thesis one of the standard types, the classic steel truss bridge is investigated. This thesis presents the dynamic investigation of standard type existing truss bridge for passenger comfort criteria under the high speed train loadings. Two different computational analysis models have been developed to idealize the vehicle-bridge modeling to evaluate the passenger comfort that were influenced by dynamic vibrations on bridges induced by trains. Field tests of this bridge have been conducted by two separate institutes, Middle East Technical University and Turkish State Railways, to determine the state of the bridge under existing low-speed train loadings. Eigenvalue and Time history analysis of the LARSA 4D structural analysis program has been used to investigate the vehicle bridge interactions. The solutions obtained from the analysis have been evaluated with the experimental results. Different rehabilitation options are analytically studied to improve the serviceability of standard steel truss bridges per Eurocode 1990:2002, Eurocode 1991-2:2003, UIC 774-3 and UIC 776-1. The focus of this research is to define a relationship between span weight per meter and passenger comfort as well as the stiffness of this type of bridge.