TheH-point(orhip-point) is the theoretical, relative location of an occupant'ship:specifically the pivot point between the torso and upper leg portions of the body—as used in vehicle design,automotive designand vehicle regulation as well as other disciplines including chair and furniture design.
In vehicle design, the H-point is also measured relative to other features, for example the h-point to vehicle floor (H30)[1]or h-point to pavement (H5). In other words, a vehicle said to have a "high H-point" may have an H-point that is "high" relative to the vehicle floor, the road surface, or both.
Technically, the H-point measurement uses the hip joint of a 50thpercentilemale occupant, viewed laterally,[2]and is highly relevant to national and international vehicle design standards such asglobal technical regulations (GTR).For example, a vehicle design standard known as theSociety of Automotive Engineers (SAE)J1100 Interior Measurement Indexsets parameters for such measurements asH30(H-point to vehicle floor);H5(H-point to pavement surface),H61(H-point to interior ceiling) andH25(H-point to windowsill).[3]
As with the location of other automotive design "hard points," the H-point has major ramifications in the overall vehicle design, including roof height, aerodynamics, handling (especially at highway speeds), visibility (both within the vehicle and from the vehicle into traffic), seating comfort,[4]driver fatigue, ease of entry and exit,[4]interior packaging,safety,restraint and airbag design and collision performance. As an example, higher H-points can provide more legroom, both in the front and back seats.[3]
By the early 2000s there had been a global trend toward higher H-points relative to both the road surface and the vehicle's interior floor.[5]Referring to the trend in a 2004 article,The Wall Street Journalnoted an advantage: "the higher the H-Point, the higher you ride in the car, and in some cases, the more comfortable you feel behind the wheel".[3]
Buses,minivans,SUVsandCUVsgenerally have higher H-points thansedans,though certain sedans feature higher H-points than most, for example theFord Five Hundredand theFiat 500L.Sports cars and vehicles with higher aerodynamic considerations, by contrast, may employ lower H-points relative to the road surface. When an automobile features progressively higher H-points at each successive seating row, the seating is calledstadium seating,as in theDodge Journey,andFord Flex.[4]
Vehicle interior ergonomics are integral to an automotive design education. TheSociety of Automotive Engineers(SAE) has adopted tools for vehicle design, including statistical models for predicting driver eye location and seat position as well as an H-pointmannequinfor measuring seats and interior package geometry. See SAE J826 for a description of the H-point machine. Occupant posture-prediction models are used in computer simulations and form the basis forcrash test dummypositioning.[6]
Regulatory definition:For the purpose of U.S. regulation and GTRs (Global Technical Regulations)—and for clear communication in safety and seating design[7]—the H-point is defined as the actual hip point of the seated crash test dummy itself,[7]whereas theR-point(or SgRP, seating reference point) is the theoretical hip point used by manufacturers when designing a vehicle—and more specifically describes the relative location of the seated dummy's hip point when the seat is set in the rearmost and lowermost seating position.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"2004 Mitsubishi Outlander New Car Test Drive".Car.com, Larry Edsall.
- ^"Dept of Transportation NHTSA Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards"(PDF).Federal Register May 4, 07 p.25485.
- ^abcMichelle Higgins (December 2, 2004)."Riding High: Auto Makers Jack Up the Car Seat; Finding Your Ideal 'H-Point'".The Wall Street Journal.Archived fromthe originalon May 2, 2008.RetrievedMarch 13,2017.
- ^abc"2005 Ford Freestyle Design".Myfordfreestyle.com.
- ^Stuart Birch (European Editor)."Frankfurt Motor Show: Will getting more into less become more out of less?".Automotive Engineering International Online.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^"Vehicle Ergonomics Laboratories".U. Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
- ^abc"NHTSA's Activities under the United Nations for Europe 1998 Global Agreement: Head Restraints, Docket NHTSA-2008-001600001".NHTSA.