Crash test dummies are used in the development of almost every type of vehicle, to simulate the effects of a traffic accident on the human body. Today, these tests, and the use of dummies, are generally required for vehicle homologation.
The company, Capgemini Engineering Passive Safety Centerbased in Austria, is renowned as a Class A service provider in the automotive industry for passive safety, with over 20 years' experience. The company supports its customers worldwide, from the preliminary vehicle design phase through to standard operating procedure (SOP), thanks to its in-depth know-how in engineering, simulation, testing and certification. Capgemini Engineering is also well known for the development and construction of test systems.
By integrating vehicle safety into the entire development process, Capgemini Engineering can offer complete solutions for vehicle development. For example, it can offer expertise in crash physics, restraint systems and other topics related to passive safety on the inside and outside, such as pedestrian protection and frontal collision on the inside. Development can range from a single component to a complete vehicle.
Positioning crash test dummies using the dummy positioning tool
Creaform offers a solution that enables mannequins to be positioned more quickly in the prescribed position. Positioning adapters are attached to the mannequin. They are then monitored by a camera system. In the mannequin positioning application, deviations from the desired position are then displayed simultaneously for all points in real time and highlighted. Simply move the dummy until all values are green. Distances can also be set very easily. Knees, for example, should be set a certain distance apart. Once the dummy is in place, a protocol for all measurement points is simultaneously created at the touch of a button.
This software program has been in use at Capgemini Engineering since 2020, in conjunction with the MetraSCAN 3D scanner and HandyPROBE tactile measurement system, to measure complete vehicles and part assemblies before and after a collision. What's more, test structures are also scanned before and after a crash test in order to evaluate the test and coordinate the test installation with the customer.
In addition to the mannequin positioning tool, Creaform's VXelements data acquisition software and Innovmetric's Polyworks are used.
Before acquiring the Creaform system, Capgemini Engineering had been using a camera-based measurement system, but this was limited in its functionality. The system required a fixed measurement room, which had to be calibrated at great expense. Creaform's solution combines a tactile measurement system and a 3D scanner into a single system for measuring crash-test vehicles.
Features and benefits
- A wide range of 3D scans are possible:
- The system can scan and reference large objects.
- The system can also display small objects in sufficient detail.
- Touch measurement and 3D digitizing in a single system:
- Easily combine 3D digitizing and tactile measurement in a single project.
- Same reference for scan and tactile measurement. Deviations between scan and tactile measurement are therefore eliminated.
- VXelements interface is easy to use and well documented:
- Capgemini Engineering's proprietary software tools, such as FMH Wizard, are easy to implement.
Capgemini Engineering is very satisfied with Creaform's flexible crash test measurement solution, which is used both in-house in the test laboratory and on Capgemini Engineering's crash test track. Time savings in the measurement process are also considerable.
Mr Manfred Harrer, Senior Test Expert at Capgemini Engineering, sums up the benefits as follows: " Thanks to the ability to create 3D scans quickly and easily, test set-ups are increasingly coordinated with the customer using 3D scans (especially in the Covid-19 era). In addition, test projects carried out jointly with the in-house engineering department are handled more efficiently, as each test set-up can be scanned in 3D. In contrast to the camera system used previously, the Creaform solution allows the reference to be located on the vehicle. This means that the vehicle can be measured independently of a measuring room or wall, and without being fixed to a single location. Previously, the vehicle was not available for other test preparations during the measurement. With the Creaform measurement system, other work on the vehicle can be carried out at the same time as the measurement, increasing efficiency. "