Automobile Multifunction Stalk Controls: Literature, Hardware and Human Factors Review

摘要

This report considers several topics related to the design of automobile multifunction stalkmounted controls. (The most common example is the turn signal lever, which when pulled or pushed, switches the headlamps from high to low beam, or vice versa.) In the first section a taxonomy for controls is presented. Four basic concepts--dedication, combination, directionality, and integration--are described, and examples of these concepts are included. In the literature section roughly 20 major documents concerned with stalk control design are described in detail and critically reviewed. Topics covered included: design stereotypes (hardware reviews), human factors analyses, problem surveys, accident data, driver preferences, driver performance, and previous literature reviews. Current regulations for automobile controls are described. The types of multifunction stalk controls in 1977-1979 model year cars are tabulated. Finally, based on the information described, limited design recommendations are offered.