Method for checking defrosting and defogging of automobile side window
By creating equidistant points and connecting them in the CATIA interface, the visible area of the side window rearview mirror is formed and the airflow envelope is fitted, which fills the gap in the verification of defrosting and defogging of automotive side windows, realizes rapid verification and optimization in the design stage, and avoids increased costs and time in the physical stage.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- NANJING NAVECO AUTOMOBILE CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2023-01-18
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-30
AI Technical Summary
The lack of a systematic verification method for automotive side window defrosting and defogging in existing technologies has led to the failure to identify problems in the design phase in a timely manner, increasing the cost and manufacturing cycle in the physical production phase.
Using a CATIA-based approach, equidistant points and lines are created in the CATIA interface through macro recording and code customization to form the visible area of the side window rearview mirror. The airflow envelope is then fitted to determine whether the airflow direction of the air conditioning vents is reasonable.
It enables rapid and intuitive verification, allowing problems to be identified and optimization solutions to be proposed in a timely manner during the design phase, thus avoiding design changes and cost increases during the physical prototype phase.
Smart Images
Figure CN116644506B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of overall layout verification technology in automotive R&D and design, and specifically relates to a method for verifying the defrosting and defogging of automotive side windows. Background Technology
[0002] CATIA software is a complete CAD / CAM / CAE integrated software that includes 3D design, analysis and calculation, dynamic simulation and modeling. It also has powerful expansion and secondary development functions. Using this software for the overall layout design of automobiles can greatly reduce the complexity and workload of the design, shorten the development cycle, and ensure the accuracy of the whole vehicle design data.
[0003] Currently, there are no mandatory national standards for the defrosting and defogging performance of automotive side windows. Therefore, there is no complete and standardized verification method for this aspect when designing air conditioning side vents. However, defrosting and defogging of side windows is just as important as that of the windshield. In cold winters, frost easily forms on car windows. In rainy weather, because the outside temperature is lower than the inside temperature, water vapor inside the car easily condenses on the windshield, severely affecting the driver's view of the side mirrors and potentially causing accidents. If this problem is not identified and corrected during the design phase, and is only discovered in the production stage, modifications will be necessary, significantly increasing costs and extending the manufacturing cycle.
[0004] Therefore, a CATIA-based method for verifying automotive side window defrosting and defogging is needed to address the aforementioned problems.
[0005] The information disclosed in this background section is intended only to enhance the understanding of the overall background of the invention and should not be construed as an admission or in any way implying that the information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention
[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for verifying the defrosting and defogging of automotive side windows, thereby overcoming the defects in the prior art.
[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this invention provides a CATIA-based calibration method for automotive side window defrosting and defogging, used to calibrate the air conditioning side vents of a vehicle, comprising the following steps:
[0008] Assemble the dashboard or door panel (including the air conditioning side vents) with the left and right rearview mirrors and the left and right side window glass as product components;
[0009] Create a new component in the product assembly. In the new component, create an R point and left and right eye points. The R point is the design reference point for the driver's seat. The left eye point is a point with R as the origin and (x, y, z) coordinates of (0, -32.5, 635). The right eye point is a point with R as the origin and (x, y, z) coordinates of (0, 32.5, 635).
[0010] Extract the edge data of the right rearview mirror from the right rearview mirror component;
[0011] In the CATIA interface, click Tools → Macros → Start Recording to begin macro recording;
[0012] Create one point in the new component, select "On Curve" as the point type, select the edge of the rearview mirror as the curve, set the curve length ratio to 0.01, and then create a straight line connecting the eye point to that point;
[0013] In the CATIA interface, click Stop Macro Recording, then click Macro → Macro → Edit, enter the code, save and close, and run it to automatically create multiple equidistant points and connecting lines along the edge of the rearview mirror.
[0014] Create and extract the inner surface of the right window glass in the new component, then create the intersection of the connecting line and the inner surface of the right window glass, and create a closed spline curve passing through all intersection points on the surface to form the visible area of the right window rearview mirror;
[0015] Create center lines for the length and width of the visible area of the rearview mirror, and take the intersection of the two lines as the center point;
[0016] Extract the boundary data of the air conditioner outlet on the right and fit a blowing envelope with a draft angle of 15° along the direction of the outlet blades.
[0017] Determine whether the center point is within the airflow envelope; if not, consider optimizing the airflow direction of the outlet.
[0018] Repeat the above steps to verify the air vent on the left side.
[0019] Preferably, creating a point on the edge of the rearview mirror and creating a straight line connecting the eye point to the point specifically involves: creating a point in the new component, selecting "on a curve" as the point type, selecting the edge of the rearview mirror as the curve, setting the curve length ratio to 0.01, and then creating a straight line, selecting "point-to-point" for the line, and selecting the eye point and the point as the first and second points respectively.
[0020] Preferably, the steps are: in the CATIA interface, click "Stop Macro Recording", then click "Macro Edit", enter the code, save and close, and then run the macro to automatically create multiple equidistant points and connecting lines along the edge of the rearview mirror;
[0021] Specifically, in the CATIA interface, click Stop Macro Recording, then open Macro → Edit, modify the code, add a For…Next loop statement, set the loop control variable to 2 to 100, so that the Set hybridShapePointOnCurve1 command is executed repeatedly 99 times, with the curve length ratio increasing by 0.01 each time, and then click Run. The system will automatically create another 99 equidistant points on the edge of the rearview mirror and the lines connecting each point to the eye point.
[0022] Preferably, the inner curved surface of the right window glass is created and extracted in the new component. Then, the intersection points of the connecting lines and the inner curved surface of the right window glass are created, and a closed spline curve passing through all intersection points is created on the curved surface to form the visible area of the right window rearview mirror. The center lines of the length and width of the area are created, and the intersection point of the two lines is taken as the center point. Specifically, the inner curved surface of the right window glass is created and extracted in the new component, the curve filter is turned on, all the connecting lines are selected, the intersection command is clicked, the second element is selected as the inner curved surface of the right window glass, the intersection points of all the connecting lines and the inner curved surface of the right window glass are created, then all the intersection points are selected, the spline command is clicked, the geometry on the support surface is checked and the inner curved surface of the right window glass is selected, the closed spline is checked, and the spline curve created after clicking confirm is the visible area of the right window rearview mirror.
[0023] Preferably, the step "extracting the edge data of the right air conditioner vent and fitting a draft envelope with a draft angle of 15° along the direction of the vent blades" specifically involves: in the new component, clicking the "Extract" command, selecting the boundary curve of the right air conditioner vent, creating a straight line along the direction of the blades, using the "Sweep Surface" command, taking the right air conditioner vent boundary as the outline, the straight line as the guide line, and setting the draft angle to 15° to create a draft envelope to simulate the airflow direction.
[0024] Preferably, in the above motion verification method, the step "creating a point on the edge of the rearview mirror and creating a straight line connecting the eye point to that point" specifically means:
[0025] Create a point in the new component, select "On Curve" for the point type, select the edge of the rearview mirror for the curve, set the curve length ratio to 0.01, and then create a straight line, select "Point to Point" for the line, and select the eye point and the point for "First Point" and "Second Point" respectively.
[0026] In the above technical solution, the present invention provides a CATIA-based calibration method for automotive side window defrosting and defogging, used to calibrate the side air vents of automotive air conditioning. This calibration method mainly includes the following steps: assembling the dashboard or door panel (including left and right air conditioning vents) components with the left and right rearview mirror components and the left and right side window glass into a product assembly; creating new parts within the product assembly, and creating R-points and left and right eye points within the parts; Extract the edge data of the right rearview mirror from the right rearview mirror component; in the CATIA interface, click Tools → Macro → Start Recording to begin macro recording; create one point in the new component, select "On Curve" as the point type, select the extracted rearview mirror edge as the curve, and set the curve length ratio to 0.01, then create a straight line connecting the eye point to this point; create and extract the inner surface of the right window glass in the new component, then create the intersection of the connecting line and the inner surface of the right window glass, and create a closed spline curve passing through all intersection points on the surface to form the visible area of the right rearview mirror; create the center lines of the length and width of the visible area of the rearview mirror respectively, and take the intersection of the two lines as the center point; extract the boundary data of the right air conditioning vent, and fit a blowing envelope with a draft angle of 15° along the direction of the vent blades; determine whether the center point is within the blowing envelope, and if not, consider optimizing the blowing direction of the vent; repeat the above steps for the left air conditioning vent to verify. This method fills a gap in the field of automotive layout verification methods for side defrosting and defogging. It also utilizes CATIA macro recording commands to draw the visible area of the side window rearview mirror, which is more time-saving and labor-saving than the traditional method of manually connecting lines one by one. In addition, by drawing the airflow envelope of the side air vents, it is possible to intuitively determine whether the orientation of the air vents is reasonable. If this method is used for preliminary verification and then combined with further air conditioning CFD analysis, unreasonable aspects of the air conditioning side air vent design can be identified in time during the design phase and modification suggestions can be made. This avoids design changes caused by discovering problems in the later physical stage, which would increase costs and manufacturing cycle.
[0027] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:
[0028] This invention addresses the current lack of effective verification methods for defrosting and defogging automotive side windows. It enables designers to quickly and intuitively verify the side air vents of the air conditioning system, allowing them to identify problems and propose optimization solutions during the design phase. Attached Figure Description
[0029] Figure 1 A flowchart of the side window defrosting and defogging verification method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the creation of the eye point and the line connecting the right rearview mirror edge in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram illustrating the creation of the right-side window rearview mirror's visible area in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0032] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of enabling CATIA macro recording in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0033] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of stopping CATIA macro recording in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0034] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of verifying the airflow envelope of the right-side air outlet in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0035] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below, but it should be understood that the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments.
[0036] Unless otherwise expressly stated, throughout the specification and claims, the term "comprising" or its variations such as "including" or "comprises" shall be understood to include the stated elements or components without excluding other elements or other components.
[0037] Currently, there are still shortcomings in the design verification of automotive side window defrosting and defogging. There is no standardized and systematic verification method, which results in many problems not being identified and corrected in time during the design stage. These problems are only identified when the actual product is installed on the vehicle, which greatly increases costs and extends the manufacturing cycle.
[0038] Based on the above, this embodiment proposes a CATIA-based verification method for automotive side window defrosting and defogging, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the method specifically includes the following steps:
[0039] S1. Create a new PRODUCT component in CATIA software, and assemble the dashboard or door panel (including left and right air conditioning vents), left and right rearview mirror components, and left and right side window glass into the new product component according to the position of the whole vehicle coordinate system.
[0040] S2. Create a new PART component in the above product components. Within this new component, create an R point and left and right eye points. The R point is the design reference point for the driver's seat. The left eye point is a point with R as the origin and coordinates (x, y, z) of (0, -32.5, 635). The right eye point is a point with R as the origin and coordinates (x, y, z) of (0, 32.5, 635). Figure 2 As shown;
[0041] S3. Create a new geometry set in the above PART components, name it "right mirror", and use the extract command to extract the edge data of the right rearview mirror.
[0042] S4, such as Figure 4 As shown, click Tools → Macros → Start Recording at the top of the CATIA interface to begin macro recording;
[0043] S5. Create a point in the PART component, select "On Curve" as the point type, select the rearview mirror edge line as the curve, set the curve length ratio to 0.01, and then create a straight line connecting the eye point to this point.
[0044] S6, such as Figure 5 As shown, in the CATIA interface, click Stop Macro Recording, then click Macro → Edit. The macro code will appear. Add a line of code "FOR I=2 TO 100" below the second line of code Sub CATMain(). Change the line containing "SethybridShapePointOnCurve1" to:
[0045] "Set hybridShapePointOnCurve1 = hybridShapeFactory1.AddNewPointOnCurveWithReferenceFromPercent (reference1, reference2, 0.010000*I Add the line "False"), meaning the curve length ratio increases by 0.01 each time. Then, add the line "NEXT" above the last line "End Sub". Save and close the window, then click "Run". This will automatically create another 99 equidistant points on the rearview mirror edge and the lines connecting each point to the eye point, as shown below. Figure 2 As shown;
[0046] S7, such as Figure 3 As shown, create a new geometry set in the PART component and name it "right window". Extract the inner surface of the right window glass. Then, open the CATIA curve filter, select all the lines created in S6, and click the "Intersect" command. Select the inner surface of the right window glass extracted from "right window" as the second element. After clicking OK, the intersection points of each line and the inner surface of the glass will be created. Then, select all the intersection points, click the "Spline" command, check "Support geometry on surface" and select the inner surface of the right window glass, and check "Closed spline". After clicking OK, a closed spline curve passing through each intersection point will be created, which is the visible area of the rearview mirror of the right window.
[0047] S8. Create center lines for the length and width of the rearview mirror's visible area in the PART component, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the intersection of the two lines is taken as the center point;
[0048] S9. Create a new geometry set in the PART component, named "air envelope". Use the "Extract" command to extract the boundary curve of the right air outlet of the air conditioner. Then create a straight line along the direction of the blades. Use the "Sweep Surface" command, with the extracted right air outlet boundary as the outline and the straight line just created as the guide line, set the draft angle to 15°, to create the airflow envelope to simulate the airflow direction. Figure 6 As shown.
[0049] S10, such as Figure 6 As shown, determine whether the center point created in S8 is within the airflow envelope created in S9. If not, consider optimizing the airflow direction of the air outlet.
[0050] S11. For the left-side air conditioning vent, the same method as S3~S10 is used for verification.
[0051] The above steps S4~S6 mainly utilize CATIA's macro recording function. By appropriately modifying the recorded macros and customizing the code, repetitive tasks in the work can be specifically solved, thereby improving efficiency.
[0052] It should be noted that this verification method is not limited to verifying the side air outlet of the air conditioner, but is also applicable to the verification of the rearview mirror field of view, the verification of the reflective glare of the dashboard, etc., all of which are within the protection scope of this invention.
[0053] The foregoing description of specific exemplary embodiments of the invention is for illustrative and explanatory purposes. These descriptions are not intended to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and it will be apparent that many changes and variations can be made in accordance with the foregoing teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the specific principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to implement and utilize various different exemplary embodiments of the invention, as well as various different choices and variations. The scope of the invention is intended to be defined by the claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A method for verifying defrosting and defogging of automotive side windows, used to verify the air conditioning vents on the left and right sides of a vehicle, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: In CATIA software, the instrument panel assembly, left and right rearview mirror components, and left and right side window glass are assembled into product components. The instrument panel assembly includes the left air conditioning vent and the right air conditioning vent. Create a new component in the product assembly, and create an R point and left and right eye points in the new component. The R point is the design reference point for the driver's seat. The left eye point is a point with R as the origin and (x, y, z) coordinates of (0, -32.5, 635). The right eye point is a point with R as the origin and (x, y, z) coordinates of (0, 32.5, 635). Extract the edge data of the right rearview mirror from the right rearview mirror component; Record macros in the CATIA interface; Create one point in the newly created component, select "on curve" as the point type, select the rearview mirror edge line as the curve, and set the curve length ratio to 0.
01. Then create a straight line connecting the eye point to this point. In the CATIA interface, click Stop Macro Recording, then edit the code, save and close it before running. This will automatically create multiple equidistant points and connecting lines along the edge of the rearview mirror. In the newly created component, create and extract the inner curved surface of the right window glass. Then, create the intersection point of the connecting line and the inner curved surface of the right window glass. Create a closed spline curve passing through all intersection points on the curved surface to form the visible area of the right window rearview mirror. Create the center lines of the length and width of the area and take the intersection point of the two lines as the center point. Extract the edge data of the right air conditioner vent and fit a blowing envelope with a draft angle of 15° along the direction of the vent blades. Determine whether the center point is within the airflow envelope; if not, consider optimizing the airflow direction of the air outlet. Repeat the above steps to verify the air vent on the left side.
2. The side window defrosting and defogging verification method according to claim 1, characterized in that, To create a point on the edge of the rearview mirror and a straight line connecting the eye point to that point, the specific steps are as follows: Create a point in the newly created component, select "on curve" as the point type, select the edge of the rearview mirror as the curve, set the curve length ratio to 0.01, and then create a straight line. Select "point to point" as the line type, and select the eye point and the current point as the first and second points, respectively.
3. The side window defrosting and defogging verification method according to claim 2, characterized in that, In the CATIA interface, click "Stop Macro Recording," then click "Macro Editor," modify the code, save, close, and run. This will automatically create multiple equidistant points and connecting lines along the edge of the rearview mirror. Specifically, in the CATIA interface, click Stop Macro Recording, then open Macro → Edit, modify the code, add a For…Next loop statement, set the loop control variable to 2 to 100, so that the Set hybridShapePointOnCurve1 command is executed repeatedly 99 times, with the curve length ratio increasing by 0.01 each time, and then click Run. The system will automatically create another 99 equidistant points on the edge of the rearview mirror and the lines connecting each point to the eye point.
4. The side window defrosting and defogging verification method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the new component, create and extract the inner surface of the right window glass. Then, create the intersection points of the connecting lines and the inner surface of the right window glass, and create a closed spline curve passing through all intersection points on the surface to form the visible area of the right window rearview mirror. Create the center lines of the length and width of the area, and take the intersection of the two lines as the center point. Specifically: In the new component, create and extract the inner surface of the right window glass, open the curve filter, select all the connecting lines, click the intersection command, select the inner surface of the right window glass as the second element, create the intersection points of all the connecting lines and the inner surface of the right window glass, then select all the intersection points, click the spline command, check the geometry on the support surface and select the inner surface of the right window glass, check the closed spline, and click confirm. The spline curve created is the visible area of the right window rearview mirror.
5. The side window defrosting and defogging verification method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step "extract the edge data of the right air conditioner vent and fit a draft angle of 15° along the direction of the vent blades" specifically involves: in the newly created component, click the "Extract" command, select the boundary curve of the right air conditioner vent, then create a straight line along the direction of the blades, use the "Sweep Surface" command, take the right air conditioner vent boundary as the outline, take the straight line as the guide line, set the draft angle to 15°, and create a draft envelope to simulate the airflow direction.