VI-grade推出了一款可用于多屬性虛擬測(cè)試的駕駛員體感全頻譜動(dòng)態(tài)模擬器(DiM FSS)。
盡管5月中旬的意大利東北部陰雨綿綿,但2024年VI-grade零原型峰會(huì)(ZPS)的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)氣氛卻十分明朗。VI-grade的全球合作伙伴紛紛親臨現(xiàn)場(chǎng),見(jiàn)證VI-grade新款多屬性應(yīng)用DiM FSS的全球首次亮相。
DiM FSS是VI-grade先進(jìn)駕駛員體感模擬器的升級(jí)版,采用碳纖維駕駛艙,并配備可安裝在現(xiàn)有動(dòng)態(tài)駕駛器頂部的振動(dòng)器,能夠同時(shí)提供NVH和動(dòng)態(tài)模擬。
對(duì)于總部位于德國(guó)達(dá)姆施塔特的VI-grade而言,5月是一個(gè)忙碌的月份。該公司于2018年被Spectris plc收購(gòu),現(xiàn)在隸屬于HBK的虛擬測(cè)試部門(mén)(HBK本身隸屬于Spectris plc)。HBK總裁Ben Bryson在接受SAE采訪時(shí)表示,VI-grade虛擬測(cè)試工具可以顯著縮短產(chǎn)品上市時(shí)間,“在某些情況下,甚至可以縮短一半,”同時(shí)它還可以削減高達(dá)20%的成本。他還指出,除了上述優(yōu)勢(shì)外,VI-grade虛擬測(cè)試工具還可以獲得實(shí)時(shí)、準(zhǔn)確的反饋,高端品牌對(duì)此尤其感興趣。
他指出,“像BMW和AMG這樣的公司,需要在品牌的整個(gè)創(chuàng)新周期中進(jìn)行保密,但同時(shí)也需要確保他們?cè)O(shè)計(jì)的產(chǎn)品及其物理屬性、結(jié)構(gòu)載荷和動(dòng)力學(xué)特征與駕駛員在環(huán)境中的感知一致。”
賓利在ZPS峰會(huì)上發(fā)表了一場(chǎng)題為“虛擬優(yōu)先(Virtual-First)思維在工程設(shè)計(jì)中的重要性”的演講。該公司5月上旬就已宣布,將使用VI-grade緊湊型FSS模擬器為其即將推出的電動(dòng)汽車(chē)構(gòu)建虛擬原型,并強(qiáng)調(diào)將重點(diǎn)用于改進(jìn)NVH開(kāi)發(fā)以及駕乘與操控調(diào)試。賓利將在其位于英國(guó)克魯?shù)男陆{駛員在環(huán)(DiL)中心安裝緊湊型FSS。
美國(guó)密歇根大學(xué)先進(jìn)出行研究中心Mcity也于5月宣布,將使用VI-grade緊湊型模擬器和VI-grade VI-WorldSim軟件堆棧測(cè)試自動(dòng)駕駛技術(shù)。
EDAG即將開(kāi)放零原型實(shí)驗(yàn)室
本次峰會(huì)上最重磅的消息或許是,獨(dú)立工程服務(wù)供應(yīng)商EDAG集團(tuán)宣布將于今年春季開(kāi)放其位于德國(guó)沃爾夫斯堡的第一家配備VI-grade線纜驅(qū)動(dòng)DiM500模擬器的零原型實(shí)驗(yàn)室(ZPL)。EDAG車(chē)輛運(yùn)動(dòng)與高性能車(chē)輛高級(jí)專(zhuān)家Jonas Grötzinger向SAE媒體透露,該實(shí)驗(yàn)室還擁有另外兩個(gè)VI-grade模擬器——1個(gè)桌面級(jí)模擬器和1個(gè)緊湊型FSS模擬器,兩者均可運(yùn)行Autohawk16。但DiM500模擬器更有可能使OEM(例如位于實(shí)驗(yàn)室附近的大眾汽車(chē))選擇使用EDAG的服務(wù)。DiM500模擬器的縱橫向移動(dòng)量為5米(16英尺)、1.5G力,垂直移動(dòng)量為298mm(12英寸)、2.5G力。
他指出,“我們選擇DiM500的原因在于可以對(duì)雙車(chē)道變道等相關(guān)操作進(jìn)行一對(duì)一追蹤(cueing),同時(shí)它還具有良好的乘坐舒適性。相比之下,在DiM250和DiM400等更小型的模擬器上,我們只能降低追蹤比例,因此它提供的力與駕駛員在真車(chē)上感受的力不是一比一的關(guān)系,比例可能只有0.5或0.7。這就意味著駕駛員必須根據(jù)模擬器調(diào)整自身感受。”
Grötzinger指出,EDAG零原型實(shí)驗(yàn)室的獨(dú)特優(yōu)勢(shì)在于其模擬器可以組合使用。
“零原型實(shí)驗(yàn)室還配備一個(gè)FSS模擬器,因?yàn)槲覀兿雽⒉倏睾娃D(zhuǎn)向的開(kāi)發(fā)與NVH以及更高頻的乘坐舒適性開(kāi)發(fā)結(jié)合起來(lái),我認(rèn)為這種組合在市場(chǎng)上是獨(dú)一無(wú)二的。此外,實(shí)驗(yàn)室還有另一個(gè)桌面級(jí)模擬器,它可用于更新和開(kāi)發(fā)模型,以及在使用其他模擬器前對(duì)模型進(jìn)行小規(guī)模檢查。”
DiM500和FSS模擬器的組合使用還意味著EDAG可以利用在真實(shí)測(cè)試或仿真中重新生成的數(shù)據(jù)進(jìn)行全新的測(cè)試。
“我們還可以將這些功能進(jìn)行組合。比如,只播放前軸或后軸的聲音,或同時(shí)播放,此外還可以增加或去除風(fēng)噪等等。這些功能對(duì)于工程師非常有用,因?yàn)樵诂F(xiàn)實(shí)世界或試驗(yàn)場(chǎng)上很難實(shí)現(xiàn)這些操作。”他笑著說(shuō),“畢竟拆除了一根車(chē)軸,汽車(chē)就沒(méi)辦法駕駛了。”
Grötzinger表示,“DiM500只能運(yùn)行特定頻率的結(jié)構(gòu)輸入,但FSS模擬器對(duì)結(jié)構(gòu)傳遞路徑和空氣傳遞路徑?jīng)]有限制,因此空氣噪聲模擬只能在FSS模擬器上進(jìn)行。我們可以使用在汽車(chē)試驗(yàn)場(chǎng)測(cè)量的空氣噪聲和模擬器的信號(hào),還可以使用模擬的傳遞路徑。”
VI-grade董事總經(jīng)理Guido Bairati向SAE表示,一家公司使用的模擬器數(shù)量越多,其虛擬測(cè)試的整體效果就越好。
Bairati表示,“如果貴公司真的想要改變汽車(chē)研發(fā)方式、加速產(chǎn)品研發(fā)進(jìn)程和減少實(shí)體原型車(chē)的數(shù)量,就必須相信仿真和模擬器的能力。這意味著貴公司應(yīng)當(dāng)像福特、Stellantis和本田一樣,開(kāi)始在各種設(shè)施中應(yīng)用模擬器。此外,貴公司還需要擁有多個(gè)模擬器,這樣才能在虛擬測(cè)試中利用數(shù)字孿生技術(shù)研究各種不同的領(lǐng)域。只有這樣,才能真正做到改變汽車(chē)研發(fā)方式和縮短研發(fā)時(shí)間。”
盡管ZPS峰會(huì)的預(yù)測(cè)非常樂(lè)觀,但汽車(chē)行業(yè)何時(shí)才能真正實(shí)現(xiàn)零原型開(kāi)發(fā)尚不明確。在會(huì)議間歇和非正式談話期間,許多與會(huì)者向SAE透露,雖然虛擬測(cè)試具有潛在優(yōu)勢(shì),但他們?cè)诤茈y說(shuō)服公司全面投資虛擬測(cè)試。不過(guò),Bairati指出,他認(rèn)為許多公司已經(jīng)接近零原型開(kāi)發(fā)階段,只是不愿意透露而已。
他指出,“我堅(jiān)信2024年可全面實(shí)現(xiàn)虛擬汽車(chē)開(kāi)發(fā)的目標(biāo),這意味著貴公司在生產(chǎn)第一輛實(shí)體原型車(chē)時(shí)就已基本正確無(wú)誤。然而,有些公司的決策制定者依然持有老派工程師的觀點(diǎn),他們不太相信仿真模型的可靠性和可預(yù)測(cè)性可以達(dá)到真實(shí)汽車(chē)的水平,文化觀念的轉(zhuǎn)變還有待實(shí)現(xiàn)。”
Despite rainy skies above northeastern Italy in mid-May, the mood at VI-grade’s 2024 Zero Prototype Summit (ZPS) was decidedly sunny. VI-grade’s partners from around the world were on hand to see the world premiere of the company’s new Driver in Motion Full-Spectrum Dynamic Simulator (DiM FSS) that allows for multi-attribute applications.
An update to VI-grade’s advanced DiM units, the DiM FSS features a carbon fiber cockpit with shakers that can be mounted on top of VI-grade’s existing dynamic simulators to provide NVH simulations at the same time as dynamic simulations.
May was a busy month for the Darmstadt, Germany-based VI-grade (owned since 2018 by Spectris plc). VI-grade is part of HBK’s Virtual Test Division (HBK is itself part of Spectris plc). HBK CEO Ben Bryson told SAE Media that VI-grade’s virtual test tools can significantly improve time to market - “in some cases, it’s halved,” he said - while reducing costs by up to 20%. These benefits, as well as getting real-time, accurate feedback, are of particular interest to premium brands, he said.
“Companies like BMW and AMG need to know that their brand is protected through the innovation cycle, and that the products that they’ve designed, their physical attributes, the structural load and dynamics, match how the driver feels in that environment,” he said.
Bentley Motors participated in ZPS with a presentation on the “Importance of a Virtual-First Mindset in Engineering.” The automaker backed up this viewpoint by announcing earlier in the month that it would use VI-grade's Compact FSS Simulator to build virtual prototypes of upcoming EV models, noting specifically that the digital tools would be used to improve NVH development and ride and handling tuning. Bentley will install the Compact FSS at its new Driver-in-the-Loop (DiL) Hub that it is building in Crewe, UK.
In the U.S., the University of Michigan's advanced mobility research center, Mcity, also announced in May that it would use VI-grade’s Compact Simulator to test autonomous technologies with VI-grade’s VI-WorldSim software stack.
EDAG’s Zero Prototype Lab opening soon
But perhaps the biggest news out of ZPS was independent engineering services provider EDAG Group announcing it would open the first EDAG Zero Prototype Lab (ZPL) in Wolfsburg, Germany, this spring featuring VI-grade’s Cable Driven DiM500 Simulator. Jonas Grötzinger, senior expert for vehicle motion and performance vehicles at EDAG, told SAE Media that the ZPL already has two other VI-grade simulators – a desktop unit running and a Compact FSS simulator both running Autohawk16 – but it’s the DiM500 that is more likely to convince OEMs, including nearby VW, to use EDAG’s services. The DiM500 has 5 meters (16 ft) and 1.5G of longitudinal and lateral movement and 298 mm (12 inches) and 2.5G of vertical movement.
“We choose the DiM500 because we can do one-to-one cueing for a lot of relevant maneuvers, including double lane change maneuvers, in combination with a good ride comfort performance,” he said. “On a smaller simulator. like a DiM250 or DiM400, you have to use lower cueing so it’s not one-to-one to the force you get on the body, it’s maybe 0.5 or 0.7. That means the driver had to adapt his feeling to the simulator.”
It’s the combination of simulators that Grötzinger said sets EDAG’s ZPL apart.
“We also have an FSS simulator in the lab because we want to combine the attribute development between the handling and steering with the attribute development in NVH and higher frequency ride comfort, and I think this combination is unique on the market,” he said. “The additional desktop simulator [can be used] to update models, to develop models, and do small checks of the models before using the other simulators.”
The combination of the DiM500 and the FSS simulator also means EDAG can run completely new tests by regenerating data from real-world tests or from simulations.
“You can also make a combination out of this. You can hear only the input from the front axle, or only the input from the rear axle, or from both. You can add wind noise or remove wind noise, and so on. It’s quite good for the engineers because it’s quite difficult to do it in the real world or on the proving grounds,” he said, laughing. “It’s not possible to remove one axle and then drive the car again.”
“With the DiM500, we can only run structural inputs up to a certain level of frequency,” he said. “With the FSS simulator, there’s no limit between the structural transfer path and airborne transfer path. Of course, the airborne noise will be simulated in the FSS simulator. And we can use airborne noise that was measured from a car on the proving ground and use the signals in a simulator as well as we can use transfer paths from the simulation.”
The more, the merrier
VI-grade managing director Guido Bairati told SAE Media that the more simulators a company uses, the better its overall virtual testing becomes.
“If you really want to change the way you develop vehicles, if you really want to accelerate product development, if you really want to decrease the number of physical prototypes, you have to believe in what simulation and simulators can do,” Bairati said. “Believing in a simulator means that you start using simulators in all different locations like Ford is doing, like Stellantis is doing, like Honda is doing, and you need to have a number of simulators in order to study all different disciplines virtually using digital twins. That’s the only way to be able to really say that you are changing the way you develop vehicles and that you are shrinking the development time.”
Despite the sunny predictions at ZPS, there were some clouds obscuring exactly when the industry will reach truly zero-prototype development capability. During breaks and informal conversations, many attendees told SAE Media they face steep challenges getting their companies to fully invest in virtual testing, despite the potential benefits. Bairati, though, said he thinks companies are closer to zero prototypes than they’re willing to say.
“I’m fully convinced that in 2024, a vehicle can be developed fully, virtually,” he said. “That means the first prototype you build, it’s basically right. But some of the decision-makers are still old-school engineers, and they don’t really believe that simulation models can reach the level of reliability and predictability that they actually are able to reach. It’s a cultural shift.”