Numerical Modeling Application of ICNIRP Guidelines to Automobile Occupant Protection

The automobiles of today offer smaller architectures and electric motor driven propulsion systems to offer fuel efficiencies and reduced air pollution. These vehicles, at times, integrate major electrical components into the vehicle structure placing these components near vehicle occupants. With this practice, there is the concern of exposing occupants to the magnetic field generated by these nearby electrical components due to the high current. The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) established guidelines for general public exposure to electric and magnetic fields which offers guidance on potential health effects when humans are exposed to Non-Ionizing Radiation. In this paper, the application of these guidelines in an automotive setting will be discussed along with some of the challenges involved with applying this guidance. Some conditions at the basis of the ICNIRP guidelines do not align with the automotive environment, such as close proximity of current-carrying wires resulting in localized fields and maximum coupling to the exposed individual. This, along with some of the conservative assumptions made in the establishment of the Reference Levels, can pose a challenge when attempting to define magnetic field emission limits inside the vehicle.