US 6,088,521 A · Method and system for providing a virtual wind tunnel

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system which allows evaluation of vehicle designs both aerodynamically and aeroaccoustically in a virtual environment. Starting with a computer aided design (CAD) description of the vehicle, a CFD simulation can be constructed and executed. This information can be used to provide an estimate of interior sound due to wind noise, which can then be played through speakers for A-to-B comparisons of alternate vehicle designs. The method generates predicted wind noise within a passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle from a computer aided design (CAD) model representative of the vehicle without use of a physical wind tunnel. A CAD model of a desired portion of the vehicle is prepared and a computational mesh of the desired portion of the vehicle design is created from the CAD model. A transient flow over the desired portion of the vehicle is then computed using the computational mesh, and a set of aerodynamic data from at least one predetermined area of the desired portion of the CAD model from the transient flow is extracted from the transient flow. A virtual representation of wind noise at a predetermined location with respect to the CAD model based upon the set of aerodynamic data is then generated, and an acoustic representation of the virtual representation of wind noise is produced.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A method for generating predicted wind noise within a passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle from a computer aided design (CAD) model representative of the vehicle without use of a wind tunnel, the method comprising the steps of:

preparing a CAD model of a desired portion of the vehicle;
creating a computational mesh of the desired portion of the vehicle design from the CAD model;
computing a transient flow over the desired portion using the computational mesh;
extracting a set of aerodynamic data from at least one predetermined area of the desired portion of the CAD model form the transient flow;
generating a virtual representation of wind noise at a predetermined location with respect to the CAD model based upon the set of aerodynamic data;
and
producing an acoustic representation of the virtual representation of wind noise by playing the virtual representation through at least one speaker.

4 more elements

A virtual wind tunnel system for generating predicted wind noise within a passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle from a computer aided design (CAD) model representative of the vehicle, the system comprising:

CAD code means for preparing a CAD model of a desired portion of the vehicle;
mesh creation code means for creating a computational mesh of the desired portion of the vehicle design from the CAD model;
computational fluid dynamics code means for computing a transient flow over the desired portion using the computational mesh;
extraction code means for extracting a set of aerodynamic data from at least one predetermined area of the desired portion of the CAD model form the transient flow;
wind noise code means for generating a virtual representation of wind noise at a predetermined location with respect to the CAD model based upon the set of aerodynamic data;
and
sound generation means for producing an acoustic representation of the virtual representation of wind noise through at least one speaker, headphones, or other like device.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and system for providing a virtual wind tunnel

Life of this patent

Method and system for providing a virtual wind tunnel

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19