Integrated computer-aided design in automotive development: development processes, geometric fundamentals, methods of CAD, knowledge-based engineering data management

The automotive industry faces constant pressure to reduce development costs and time while still increasing vehicle quality. To meet this challenge, engineers and researchers in both science and industry are developing effective strategies and flexible tools by enhancing and further integrating powerful, computer-aided design technology. This book provides a valuable overview of the development tools and methods of today and tomorrow. It is targeted not only towards professional project and design engineers, but also to students and to anyone who is interested in state-of-the-art computer-aided development. The book begins with an overview of automotive development processes and the principles of virtual product development. Focusing on computer-aided design, a comprehensive outline of the fundamentals of geometry representation provides a deeper insight into the mathematical techniques used to describe and model geometrical elements. The book then explores the link between the demands of integrated design processes and efficient data management. Within automotive development, the management of knowledge and engineering data plays a crucial role. Some selected representative applications provide insight into the complex interactions between computer-aided design, knowledge-based engineering and data management and highlight some of the important methods currently emerging in the field

Integrated Computer-Aided Design in Automotive DevelopmentDevelopment Processes, Geometric Fundamentals, Methods of CAD, Knowledge-Based Engineering Data Management /

XIX, 466 p. 281 illus., 90 illus. in color.onlin

Largest Area Ellipse Inscribing an Arbitrary Convex Quadrangle

A novel algorithm is presented which employs a projective extension of the Euclidean plane to identify the entire one-parameter family of inscribing ellipses, subject to a set of four linear constraints in the plane of the pencil, and directly identifies the area maximising one given any convex quadrangle. In the algorithm, four specified bounding vertices, no three collinear, determine four line equations describing a convex quadrangle. Considering the quadrangle edges as four polar lines enveloping an ellipse, together with one of the corresponding pole points on the ellipse, we define five bounding constraints on the second order equation revealing a description of the pencil of inscribing line conics. This envelope of line conics is then transformed to its point conic dual for visualisation and area maximisation. The ellipse area is optimised with respect to the single pole point and the maximum area inscribing ellipse emerges