Occupant based design system for an automotive vehicle

• US 6,090,148 A
• Filed: 12/04/1997
• Issued: 07/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Henault, Mark Russell, Walraven, Michael Joseph, Tang, Scott Ming-Hua, Sevrence, Sean James, Weber, William Francis, Bach, Daniel Cornelius, Karam, Frederick Abraham
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FREJD, RUSSELL WARREN
• Application Number:
  US08/984,690
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 345/333, 345/348, 345/353, 345/356, 345/419, 345/473, 345/339, 345/355, 395/500.37, 395/500.01, 395/500.29, 364/148.01, 364/149, 364/150, 364/151, 364/152, 364/468.01, 364/468.02, 364/468.03, 364/468.04, 364/468.09, 364/468.1, 364/468.12, 180/271, 180/286, 180/287, 280/1, 434/29, 434/257, 434/267, 434/365, 434/370, 434/373, 382/104
• US Class Current: 703/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects

Abstract

A computer based system and method for designing an automotive vehicle orients an occupant representation, in electronic form, with respect to a three-dimensional electronic representation of a portion of the vehicle. At least one vehicle system is represented, also in electronic form, with respect to a common reference point, at least one human factors study is electronically performed to determine occupant interaction with at least one vehicle system, and an outcome of that study is reported to a vehicle designer. The designer then has an option to vary, or alter, the occupant orientation, the location of the vehicle system, or both, so that the design meets a predetermined criteria of the study. However, the designer may opt to retain the design despite non-compliance with the criteria. If a parameter change is made, the system and method automatically rebuild every other effected dimension, and vehicle systems to satisfy the regenerated design are automatically selected from an electronic parts library so that packaging alternatives can be quickly studied. A geometric representation of occupant interaction relative to a vehicle system may be displayed to allow a designer to visually assess compliance with a particular criteria. The occupant representation, vehicle, vehicle system, and geometric representation of the interaction may be rendered and animated in three-dimensions permitting views from various perspectives. The method and system can quickly provide accurate human factors studies for a vehicle design while allowing system packaging flexibility.

Claims

1. A vehicle design system for ergonomically designing a portion of an automotive vehicle on a computer in which an occupant and at least one vehicle system are electronically represented with respect to a common reference point, the system comprising:

occupant representation means for orienting an occupant representation with respect to the common reference point in the computer;

vehicle system representation means for representing in the computer at least one vehicle system with respect to the common reference point;

interaction means for determining an occupant interaction between the occupant representation and the at least one vehicle system; and

report means for reporting the occupant interaction.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the interaction means includes human factors code means for performing a at least one human factors study between the occupant representation and the at least one vehicle system.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein the human factors code means includes at least one of a reach criteria code means, a rimblock criteria code means, a knee bolster criteria code means, a mask lens criteria code means, a windshield reflection criteria code means, and a manual shift criteria code means.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein the report means comprises display means for displaying a geometric representation of the occupant interaction between the occupant representation and the at least one vehicle system.

5. A system according to claim 4 wherein the geometric representation is an interaction surface.

6. A system according to claim 5 including rendering code means for rendering a surface for the occupant representation, the at least one vehicle system, and the interaction surface.

7. A system according to claim 6 including animation code means for animating movement of the rendered occupant representation, the rendered at least one vehicle system, and the rendered interaction surface.

8. A system according to claim 2 including adjustment code means for determining a locational adjustment for the at least one vehicle device, the occupant representation, or both, so that the occupant interaction satisfies the at least one human factors study.

9. A system according to claim 2 including location variation code means for varying a system location of the at least one vehicle system with respect to the common reference point so that the occupant interaction satisfies the at least one human factors study.

10. A system according to claim 2 including system variation code means for varying a system representation of the at least one vehicle system with respect to the common reference point so that the occupant interaction satisfies the at least one human factors study.

11. A system according to claim 10 wherein the system representation is selected from an electronically stored standard parts library.

12. A vehicle design system on a computer having processor and a memory in which an occupant and at least one vehicle system are electronically represented with respect to a common reference point in a three-dimensional representation of a portion of a vehicle, the system comprising:

occupant representation code means for orienting an occupant representation with respect to the common reference point in the computer;

vehicle system representation code means for representing the at least one vehicle system with reference to the common reference point;

human factors study code means for causing the processor to perform at least one human factors study between the occupant representation and the at least one vehicle system; and

outcome code means for reporting an outcome of the at least one human factors study.

13. In a computer environment including a computer system having a processor, a memory, and a display, a vehicle design system for designing a portion of an automotive vehicle comprising:

first code means for representing in the memory an occupant position within a passenger compartment in the vehicle;

second code means for representing in the memory a position for at least one occupant interactive vehicle system within the passenger compartment;

third code means for causing the processor to generate an occupant interaction between the occupant position and the at least one occupant interactive vehicle system; and

fourth code means for causing the processor to compare the occupant interaction to a predetermined occupant interaction criteria.

14. A system according to claim 13 including fifth code means for causing the processor to vary the position of the at least one occupant interactive system to meet the predetermined occupant interaction criteria.

15. A computer aided vehicle design system for designing a portion of an automotive vehicle, the system comprising:

(a) parameter selection code means for selecting a value for at least one occupant position parameter;

(b) interaction code means for determining an occupant interaction between the at least one occupant position parameter and at least one vehicle device;

(c) comparison code means for comparing the occupant interaction to a predetermined criteria; and

(d) adjustment code means for determining a locational change for the at least one vehicle device so that the occupant interaction meets the predetermined criteria.

16. A system according to claim 15 wherein the adjustment code means includes code means for varying a device location of the at least one vehicle device with respect to the at least one occupant position parameter based upon a set of predefined rules.

17. A system according to claim 16 wherein the predefined rules are defined by locational code means comprising a set of locational relationships between each of the at least one vehicle devices.

18. A system according to claim 17 wherein the locational code means comprises a standard parts library electronically stored in a computer memory.

19. A system according to claim 16 wherein the predetermined criteria are embodied in a human factors code means.

20. A system according to claim 19 wherein the human factors code means includes at least one of a reach criteria code means, a rimblock criteria code means, a knee bolster criteria code means, a mask lens criteria code means, a windshield reflection criteria code means, and a manual shift criteria code means.

21. A system according to claim 16 including display means for displaying a geometric representation of the occupant interaction between the occupant representation and the at least one vehicle device.

22. A system according to claim 21 wherein the geometric representation is a surface which divides the passenger compartment into at least two zones.

23. A system according to claim 22 including rendering code means for rendering a surface for each of the at least one vehicle device.

24. A system according to claim 23 including animation code means for animating movement of the at least one vehicle device.

25. A portion of a vehicle satisfying a predetermined set of occupant based ergonomic criteria made from a design achieved by electronically representing on a computer an occupant representation and at least one vehicle system with respect to a common reference point, orienting the occupant representation within the vehicle, determining an occupant interaction between the occupant representation and the at least one vehicle system having a system location on the vehicle, and comparing the occupant interaction to the ergonomic criteria.

26. A portion of vehicle made according to claim 25 wherein the system location of the at least one vehicle system is varied with respect to the occupant representation until the occupant interaction meets the ergonomic criteria.

27. A portion of vehicle made according to claim 25 wherein the occupant interaction is compared to the ergonomic criteria by displaying a geometric representation of the occupant interaction between the occupant representation and the at least one vehicle system.