Honda R&D adopts DiM250, the revolutionary driving simulator from VI-grade and Saginomiya
Marburg, Dec 4th, 2017 – VI-grade today announced that Honda R&D selected the newly developed motion platform named DiM250 (Driver-in-Motion) designed by VI-grade and engineered and manufactured by Saginomiya. The new dynamic platform for the driving simulator will be installed in the second half of 2018 at the Honda R&D Europe site in Offenbach, Germany.
“We expect to use DiM250 primarily for vehicle dynamics and ride applications, as well as using it as a crucial tool to develop and test our ADAS, HMI, powertrain and autonomous driving technologies earlier in the design process”, said Yasunori Oku, Executive Vice President, Honda R&D Europe Deutschland. “The DiM250 technology will provide an ideal common development platform for our research and development activities, where all teams involved can work together in one single collaborative environment.”
To reproduce vehicle movements and accelerations, the DiM solution takes a different path into driving simulation and is based on a patented, revolutionary design that has nine actuators. The resulting 9 degrees of freedom configuration enables to go beyond the basic six actuators design of a simple hexapod, providing a larger workspace whilst maintaining high stiffness. This leads to a system suitable for low as well as for high frequencies, as appearing in automotive chassis design. Therefore, the DiM platform enables to investigate both vehicle dynamics and ride and comfort on the same motion platform.
The DIM solution as an ADAS simulation environment will support Honda R&D with a new way of developing vehicles and active control systems: it is possible to frontload activities in the development cycle when prototypes are not yet available. SIL and HIL applications are meeting each other when a driving simulator is used in the vehicle development process.
“We are delighted to report the first installation of our new DiM250 driving simulation technology at Honda R&D Europe”, said Juergen Fett, Managing Director, VI-grade. “We are looking forward to a continuous and successful usage of our technology at Honda R&D, helping the company to develop even better cars in a shorter time, while providing us with precious feedback to further improve our driving simulation solutions.”
The DiM250 configuration provides an extended workspace with respect to the standard DiM150 configuration already installed 9 other times all over the world, guaranteeing extended workspace and an improved driving experience, still within the compact dimensions that characterize all DiM driving simulators.
Read the press release on the Honda corporate website at this link: http://world.honda.com/worldnews/2017/4171204Driving-Simulator-Future.html
About DiM (Driver-in-Motion)
The revolutionary driving simulation turnkey solutions from VI-grade provide automotive engineers with a complete set of innovative, integrated driving simulators for a new generation approach to system-level simulation, allowing companies to bridge the gap between virtual prototyping and testing. The dynamic configuration provides motion feedback to the driver thanks to an innovative nine-degrees-of-freedom moving platform with reduced overall dimensions and large travels. The machine architecture is called Driver in Motion (DiM) and its kinematics has been designed, for the first time in history of motion platforms, to implement in the best possible way the motion cueing technology that has been developed and tested by VI-grade. This family of simulators are based on a much more compact and much less expensive driving simulator architecture with respect to conventional simulators with similar workspace. Moreover, these solutions are fully scalable, meaning that it is possible to upgrade from static to dynamic simulator, reusing all components that have been already purchased. The driving simulation solutions from VI-grade are based on VI-DriveSim, the product which provides the core software environment for all driving simulation solutions from VI-grade. For further information, please visit www.driverinmotion.com
About Honda R&D Europe (Deutschland) GmbH
Honda R&D Europe, with locations in Germany, Italy and England, is an integral part of the Honda organization in Europe. As part of its independent organizational structure, Honda R&D Europe cooperates with Honda's distribution centers and production facilities for the automotive and motorcycles product lines in an equal partnership. The European Honda network unites a common goal: tailor-made products for the benefit of European customers. At Honda R&D Europe, predominantly European employees develop mobility concepts for the regional markets. Conception and design of new models as well as extensive driving tests on European roads produce products with independent appearance and advanced technology. The German division of Honda R&D Europe, located in Offenbach, researches and develops technologies for cars, motorcycles, and outboard motors on a worldwide basis.
About Saginomiya
Saginomiya is the leading provider of automatic controls and test systems in Japan as and is very highly reputed throughout the world for the quality of its products. Saginomiya started developing, manufacturing and selling test systems in 1964, expanding in several business fields such as civil engineering and construction, industrial machinery, railway services, power generation, aviation and automotive. Saginomiya’s “Dynamic Servo” has been developed as the ideal test systems utilizing state-of-the-art core technologies such as electric and hydraulic hybrids as well as a next-generation simulator. Saginomiya is are highly committed to serve the needs of the most technically advanced customers in the global market. For further information, please visit http://www.saginomiya.co.jp/eng.
“We expect to use DiM250 primarily for vehicle dynamics and ride applications, as well as using it as a crucial tool to develop and test our ADAS, HMI, powertrain and autonomous driving technologies earlier in the design process”, said Yasunori Oku, Executive Vice President, Honda R&D Europe Deutschland. “The DiM250 technology will provide an ideal common development platform for our research and development activities, where all teams involved can work together in one single collaborative environment.”
To reproduce vehicle movements and accelerations, the DiM solution takes a different path into driving simulation and is based on a patented, revolutionary design that has nine actuators. The resulting 9 degrees of freedom configuration enables to go beyond the basic six actuators design of a simple hexapod, providing a larger workspace whilst maintaining high stiffness. This leads to a system suitable for low as well as for high frequencies, as appearing in automotive chassis design. Therefore, the DiM platform enables to investigate both vehicle dynamics and ride and comfort on the same motion platform.
The DIM solution as an ADAS simulation environment will support Honda R&D with a new way of developing vehicles and active control systems: it is possible to frontload activities in the development cycle when prototypes are not yet available. SIL and HIL applications are meeting each other when a driving simulator is used in the vehicle development process.
“We are delighted to report the first installation of our new DiM250 driving simulation technology at Honda R&D Europe”, said Juergen Fett, Managing Director, VI-grade. “We are looking forward to a continuous and successful usage of our technology at Honda R&D, helping the company to develop even better cars in a shorter time, while providing us with precious feedback to further improve our driving simulation solutions.”
The DiM250 configuration provides an extended workspace with respect to the standard DiM150 configuration already installed 9 other times all over the world, guaranteeing extended workspace and an improved driving experience, still within the compact dimensions that characterize all DiM driving simulators.
Read the press release on the Honda corporate website at this link: http://world.honda.com/worldnews/2017/4171204Driving-Simulator-Future.html
About DiM (Driver-in-Motion)
The revolutionary driving simulation turnkey solutions from VI-grade provide automotive engineers with a complete set of innovative, integrated driving simulators for a new generation approach to system-level simulation, allowing companies to bridge the gap between virtual prototyping and testing. The dynamic configuration provides motion feedback to the driver thanks to an innovative nine-degrees-of-freedom moving platform with reduced overall dimensions and large travels. The machine architecture is called Driver in Motion (DiM) and its kinematics has been designed, for the first time in history of motion platforms, to implement in the best possible way the motion cueing technology that has been developed and tested by VI-grade. This family of simulators are based on a much more compact and much less expensive driving simulator architecture with respect to conventional simulators with similar workspace. Moreover, these solutions are fully scalable, meaning that it is possible to upgrade from static to dynamic simulator, reusing all components that have been already purchased. The driving simulation solutions from VI-grade are based on VI-DriveSim, the product which provides the core software environment for all driving simulation solutions from VI-grade. For further information, please visit www.driverinmotion.com
About Honda R&D Europe (Deutschland) GmbH
Honda R&D Europe, with locations in Germany, Italy and England, is an integral part of the Honda organization in Europe. As part of its independent organizational structure, Honda R&D Europe cooperates with Honda's distribution centers and production facilities for the automotive and motorcycles product lines in an equal partnership. The European Honda network unites a common goal: tailor-made products for the benefit of European customers. At Honda R&D Europe, predominantly European employees develop mobility concepts for the regional markets. Conception and design of new models as well as extensive driving tests on European roads produce products with independent appearance and advanced technology. The German division of Honda R&D Europe, located in Offenbach, researches and develops technologies for cars, motorcycles, and outboard motors on a worldwide basis.
About Saginomiya
Saginomiya is the leading provider of automatic controls and test systems in Japan as and is very highly reputed throughout the world for the quality of its products. Saginomiya started developing, manufacturing and selling test systems in 1964, expanding in several business fields such as civil engineering and construction, industrial machinery, railway services, power generation, aviation and automotive. Saginomiya’s “Dynamic Servo” has been developed as the ideal test systems utilizing state-of-the-art core technologies such as electric and hydraulic hybrids as well as a next-generation simulator. Saginomiya is are highly committed to serve the needs of the most technically advanced customers in the global market. For further information, please visit http://www.saginomiya.co.jp/eng.
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