Method and system for vehicle design using occupant reach zones

摘要

A computer based system and method 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 reach study is electronically performed to determine occupant reach with respect to the 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 vehicle, the occupant orientation, the location of the vehicle system, or any combination thereof, so that the design meets the reach criteria of the study. However, the designer may opt to retain the design despite non-compliance with the reach 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 reach relative to a vehicle system may be displayed to allow a designer to visually assess compliance with a particular reach criteria. The occupant representation, vehicle, vehicle system, and geometric representation of the occupant reach may be rendered and animated in three-dimensions permitting views from various perspectives. The method and system can quickly provide accurate human factors reach studies for a vehicle design while allowing system packaging flexibility.