Automotive packaging

and specific country government regu-

lations including Guobiao (GB)
standards in China; Society of
Vehicle design automation integrated with NX Automotive Engineers (SAE), Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS)
and University of Michigan
Benefits Summary Transportation Research Institute
• Permits early occupancy and mechan- The vehicle design automation (VDA) (UMTRI) standards in the U.S., and
ical packaging studies software (General Packaging) is a suite Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
of tools within NX™ to aid in the design Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and TRIAS
• Helps establish key vehicle reference in Japan for topics such as Pedestrian
of vehicles, enabling engineers to
points for configuring and measuring Protection and Close Range Visibility.
validate automotive designs against
aspects of the interior automobile The embedded knowledge base of more
safety, occupant ergonomics and visibil-
compartment and external than 60 standards from at least 15
ity standards.
components standards bodies provides a reliable and
These tools check preliminary concept repeatable assessment of vehicle lay-
• Includes international vehicle industry
designs and final detailed geometry outs, both for car (Class A) and truck
standards and process knowledge
designs of cars and trucks against (Class B) regulations, eliminating the
database for repeatability and
national and international standards. need to re-read thousands of technical
standardization
The tools use product geometry and key pages. Associativity of the output geom-
• Full integration with the NX™ CAD “base data” dimensions to check design etry automatically updates analysis
system, ready-to-go and out-of-the- compliance to United Nations Economic results as the design of the vehicle
box for minimal customization costs Commission for Europe (ECE) and evolves from art to final product.
Global Technical Regulations (GTRs),
• Frees up highly skilled packaging
European Economic Community (EEC)
engineers to concentrate on complex
packaging problems
• Enables rapid evaluation of alterna-
tive designs in a unified design
environment
• Leverages integrated analysis to
provide fast feedback on designs’
compliance with established
standards

www.siemens.com/nx
 NX

Automotive packaging

Features
• Incorporates more than 60 standards
from more than 15 standards
organizations
• Associative update of checks to base
dimensions and geometry
• Supports multiple vehicle loadings
and human ergonomic profile
percentiles
NX Vehicle Design Automation validation functions across an assembly
• Works with surface or facet models addresses a broad range of packaging of the product, allowing an easy single
tasks, including: point of update if dimensions and
• Automatic geometry creation and
positions change. The base data can be
integrated compliance checks with
Base data updated by the function’s own user
visual reporting
Base data dimensions (based on SAE interface (UI) or by importing from a
J1100) such as wheelbase, vehicle spreadsheet of values. Base data com-
length, tire sizes and driver side and ponent template files can also be easily
seat reference point are used as the swapped.
starting point for other
functions. Different load-
ings can also be defined
such as empty weight or
with co-driver or fully
loaded with occupant,
luggage and fuel, which
will be used to adjust the
results to reflect the actual
position of the driver
relative to the ground.
These key base values can
be referenced by multiple
 NX

Occupant packaging and vehicle The Seat Lines assistant is used during
architecture analysis early stages of vehicle development to
The Hip Point Design (HPD) tool helps create seat position lines and to deter-
establish key vehicle reference points mine the length and position of
for configuring and measuring aspects horizontal seat travel. As a design tool,
of the interior automobile compart- the assistant makes it easy to determine
ment. These points include seating the level of accommodation provided by
reference points for each occupant proposed seat tracks. As a checking
position and heel points (accelerator tool, it implements the SAE J1516
heel point for the driver and floor standard describing where drivers
reference points for passengers). The position their adjustable seats.
tool creates the reference points
The Seat Belt Anchorage tool provides Head Impact defines upper roof zone
according to the Driver Designated
design recommendations for determin- and head impact data target points and
Seating Position Design Procedures and
ing the anchorage location for vehicle angles to FMVSS 201U on the upper
Design Procedures for second- or third-
seat belt restraint systems. The option is interior components of a vehicle to
row outboard seating positions in the
useful when performing occupant analyze the impact of a vehicle collision
SAE J4002 standards and creates a
packaging studies to determine anchor- to the heads of occupants.
simplified CAD version of the H-Point
age locations for restraint systems that
Machine (HPM). The Architecture Cover and Clearance
conform to the guidelines of SAE,
functions evaluate the vehicle geometry
ISOFIX and ECE R14. Output includes
to international and company standards
the acceptable anchorage zone for the
creating geometry and check measure-
pelvic restraint system, the upper torso
ments for slope angle, static curb,
restraint system and the top tether for
dynamic curb, oil pan, wheel fixing,
child restraint devices. The anchorage
ground clearance, inner angle, wheel
point for the pelvic restraint can be
covering, bumper and crash barrier.
located on the vehicle structure or on
the seat assembly. For SAE J383, it
Visibility analysis and pedestrian
creates a closed curve representing the
safety
acceptable zone for the anchorage
The Eyellipse tool helps certify vehicles
point of the pelvic restraint system. A
for compliance with various regulatory
closed curve is also created for the
standards. The tool graphically depicts
acceptable zone of the upper torso
the location of the driver’s eyes for
restraint system. For SAE J1369, it
specified population percentiles, creat-
The 2D Manikin of NX vehicle design creates a sheet body representing the
ing an elliptical model representing
automation permits occupancy studies enclosed volume in which to locate the
driver eye locations in the vehicle, and
early in vehicle development. anchorage point for the top tether strap
also creates features representing head
Leveraging actual human statistical of a child restraint system.
contours and EEC vision points. These
data, the manikin can be sized to repre- The Hand Reach tool can be used to are used in other NX Vehicle Design
sent a wide range of driver and estimate the extent of a driver’s hand Automation tools, including Instrument
passenger populations on both Class A control reach. Hand control reach is the Panel Visibility Assistant, Windshield
and Class B vehicles. Represented as maximum reach of drivers in a simu- Vision Zones Assistant and Mirror
contours in a side view, the 2D manikin lated driving situation, with the Certification Assistant. The Eyellipse
is created in accordance with the rec- non-reaching hand on the steering tool creates features that comply with a
ommendations of the SAE J833 and SAE wheel and the right foot on the accel- selection of standards, including SAE
J826 standards. In addition to occu- erator pedal. The software creates 3D J941 and UMTRI for eyellipses, SAE
pancy considerations, the manikin can surfaces forming envelopes represent- J1052 for head position contours and
be used for performing basic posture ing the hand reach capability for a the EEC ECE R125 Vision Points 77/649
checking with an integrated posture specified proportion of the driver popu- standard as well as user-defined head
checker referencing occupant percentile lation and torso restraint system. The gear profiles.
values and key points such as seat function follows the recommendations
reference point (SgRP), heel point and The Instrument Panel Visibility tool lets
of SAE J287 and creates data for three-
steering wheel center. you calculate the visible and nonvisible
finger, extend finger and full hand
areas of an automotive instrument
reach.
 NX

panel which can be limited by the whether the vision angles are within an American and European automotive
steering wheel and smart switch levers. acceptable range to meet SAE J1050. standards define the limits by which a
Designers can use this tool to determine The user can limit the vision region by driver’s field of view may be obscured
early in the vehicle development pro- either defining the eye/head rotation or by the A-pillars of a vehicle. The A-Pillar
cess whether the shape of the steering by specifying a window boundary. The Obstruction function measures this
wheel with its smart switch levers regions are dependent on the eye obscuration using the methods recom-
meets the recommendations of SAE points or an eyellipse (the eyellipse mended by these standards, and reports
J1050a, which describes the driver’s takes into account the vehicle type and whether the vehicle adheres to the
view of the instrument panel. Once the the driver population percentile). The standard or violates it. You can also
designer creates or selects the geom- software creates a geometric feature work in reverse and create criteria
etry representing the instrument panel representing the direct field of view and geometry (such as sight lines) for an
location, steering wheel rim and hub can also perform quick checks on the A-pillar, given a target obstruction
and smart switches, the tool can ana- up, down, left and right angle values of angle. This function follows the recom-
lyze and report steering wheel that field of view. mendations of SAE J1050, ECE R15 and
obstruction, steering wheel vision faces, GB 11562. By using A-Pillar Obstruction
smart switches/levers obstruction and during visibility studies, designers can
smart switches/levers vision faces. determine the right obstruction angle
that conforms to the guidelines of SAE
The Windshield Vision Zones tool lets
and EEC. The software can generate
you verify the conformance of a wind-
sight lines given a target obstruction
shield and wiper system design to
angle and outboard or inboard point of
established vehicle standards. You can
the A-pillar.
generate test areas on a windshield
based on SAE J902, SAE J903, SAE J198, The Glazing Shade Bands tool auto-
SAE J382, ECE 43, ECE R125, FMVSS mates the creation of curves defining
104, GB 11556, GB 15085 and UMTRI Vision Planes and Windshield Datum the driver glazing shade band. It aids in
standards. The program creates the Points create geometry representing the performing visibility design studies for
actual windshield wiped area, calculates no-obstruction area based on ECE vehicle packaging during automobile
the percentile of the actual wiped area 77/649 and GB 11562 standards. development. The output is curves that
and checks it against the standard. The mark the shading boundaries. A glazing
All-round Vision generates surface or
designer specifies the vehicle class, shade band is the area immediately
line geometry at the driver’s eye-level to
eyellipse, hip point, windshield and adjacent to and below the top edge of a
represent blocked or visible areas
wiper system details with step-by-step vehicle’s glazing. Light transmission and
around the vehicle from the driver’s
guidance from the tool. With this input, visibility through the shade band is less
position. This aids in the design of the
the wiped area and test areas A, B and C than what is required for normal driv-
vehicle for safe driving by evaluating
are calculated and the tool checks ing. The software provides step-by-step
the driver’s view angles.
whether the results meet the require- guidance for creating the glazing shade
ments of the standard. bands. Recommendations in the SAE
J100 standards are supported.
The Mirror Certification tool performs
analyses on automotive driver- and
passenger-side outside and inside
rearview mirrors before certification, or
certifies the performance of an existing
mirror design. The tool generates vision
rays and lines, for left and right eye,
describing the geometric field of vision
of rearview mirrors. These vision rays
and lines check compliance with
The Direct Field of View function can be Hood Visibility Line provides a line national standards for inside and out-
used early in the vehicle development representing the foremost points on the side rearview mirrors for the following
process to calculate the ambinocular hood that the driver is able to see countries and regions: USA (FMVSS
vision regions of an individual driver within a given view range. This assists 111), Canada (CMVSS 111), Japan
or a group of drivers and to evaluate in the evaluation of EEC 90/630. (Article 44/TRIAS 29/TRIAS 39), Europe
 NX

(71/127/EEC, ECE R46), Saudi Arabia

(SSA 770/771), Gulf States (GS 421),
Australia (ADR 14/02) and China (GB
15084).
The Reflection Data tool projects and
creates the reflections of points or
curves onto a face when viewed from
a specific eye position. You can use
reflection data to create trace curves
representing the path of the reflected
light rays and to simulate reflections on
a solid, transparent object, such as a
sheet of glass (the refraction of light
rays passing through the glass is consid-
ered). Automotive designers will find
this tool useful to verify the reflection
of interior components on the wind-
Pedestrian Protection creates head wrap-around distance (WAD) lines and
shield of the automobile. It can also be
impact and leg impact zone geometry calculate bonnet reference lines (BLE,
used in reverse to identify where on the
to comply with NCAP (Euro, North BFRL, BRRL, BRTL, BSRL), corner refer-
instrument panel a light source should
America, Japan, China, Korea) and UN ence points (CRP), bumper reference
be placed to be seen as a heads-up
GTR 9 regulations. The tool performs lines (UBRL, LBRL), internal bumper
display.
extensive interference checks and area reference line and bumper corner
Close Range Visibility checks the visible calculations and supports passive and points.
volumes for the driver on the side and active hood systems, different loading
NX vehicle design automation provides
front of the vehicle. It creates demo configurations and marginal as well as
a rapid method of checking vehicle
cylinders and blind volumes to identify standard head offset values. The tool
designs against numerous international
visible range for the driver to Japanese uses the vehicle geometry (front upper
standards throughout the product
standard MLIT 619M based on direct surfaces, windshield, A-pillar, bumper
development cycle.
eye, mirror and cameras vision. beam) to associatively create

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