Vehicle concept
A vehicle concept is a technical term used to describe the basic dimensions and properties of a vehicle . The purpose of the vehicle is one of the specifications for the technical design, but is irrelevant with regard to what is described in it, the term vehicle concept also includes all conceivable types of drive. It is mostly used as a term in the series development of mass-produced vehicles, but in principle can also be used for any type of aircraft or ship.
description
The vehicle concept describes the basic dimensions, dimensions and functions of a vehicle. Today this is mostly mapped in a CAD system. The concept developers have to take into account the requirements of the approval. These are, for example, minimum conditions for the driver's view of the road or traffic lights. These are framework conditions which, together with the desired ease of use for ease of entry or the seat layout, determine the dimensional chain in the vehicle. The ergonomic measurement models used are mostly the 50 percentile woman and the 95 percentile man for vehicles in the area of the StVZO. If a vehicle concept is to cover a special target group (e.g. children), a correspondingly different ergonomic measurement model is used.
The crash standards are further basic legal requirements. These influence the definition of the load paths , i.e. the path that the force takes through the body in the event of a vehicle impact . Pedestrian protection standards, for example, also influence the concept because, depending on the engine compartment, a higher bonnet is required in order to achieve the required flexibility.
On the other hand, the vehicle concept does not include any standards that relate to exhaust gas quality and noise emissions or similar properties in the vehicle. This is worked on in the development of the individual components (such as engine, wheels, etc.). The definition of the vehicle concept is not influenced by this.
history
Almost without exception, passenger cars have self-supporting bodies and can therefore be built much lighter and more compact. In the past, vehicles were mostly built with ladder frames, which in principle were ready to drive on their own without a body. Car bodies, some of which were made by small bodybuilders, were then placed on top of these. This type of construction can still be found today in trucks with a gross vehicle weight of around 3.5 t or more, and also in so-called pick-ups, which are mostly also considered commercial vehicles.
Application examples
The engines and attached transmissions have so far had fundamental effects in today's passenger cars. In order to reduce the complexity of new vehicle concept variants, there are two fundamentally different kits in the Volkswagen Group : the modular longitudinal matrix (MLB) and the modular transverse matrix (MQB) . The difference lies in the position of the engine, on the one hand it is installed lengthways, the crankshaft is arranged in the direction of travel and on the other hand it is the transverse engine, in which the number of cylinders is limited by the vehicle width, and which is therefore mostly in smaller and medium-sized series is used. The manufacturer BMW also offers a modular use of the engines with the gearboxes. So far, the various engines have always been in-line engines and are therefore partly installed from the 1 to the 7 series . In contrast, BMW is realizing a fundamentally new vehicle concept in the BMW i3 . Here the vehicle is almost divided into two parts: a low-lying subframe with the very compact electric motor in one unit with the power electronics and the differential gear on the rear axle and a battery box in the middle of the vehicle in the ideally deep installation point, plus an attached crash-resistant lightweight structure made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic .
An example of the importance of the vehicle concept are the so-called concept vehicles from the various automobile manufacturers, which are developed and built as individual items for the major automobile fairs. Manufacturers use such vehicles to test whether their concept ideas appeal to customers and whether they could be sold successfully. With these vehicles, the developers have fewer restrictions, but can freely think how it could be. Vehicles are presented that are very close to series production or “dream cars” that are largely planned without restrictions and are too expensive or too impractical for series production.
education
As a fundamental definition for the development of vehicles, the vehicle concept is also a central content of courses in engineering, especially mechanical engineering or automotive engineering, but also in vehicle design. It is part of the study and work programs at various chairs, institutes and training centers.
Individual evidence
- ^ Hans-Hermann Braess: Vieweg handbook automotive technology. Springer-Verlag, 2011, ISBN 978-3-8348-1011-3 , p. 92. Restricted preview in the Google book search
- ↑ Vehicle concept in: Racing car technology. 2008, pp. 15-68. doi : 10.1007 / 978-3-8348-9540-0_2 ISBN 978-3-8348-0484-6
- ↑ DLR - Institute for Vehicle Concepts (FK)