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This paper describes a computerized value analysis tool (VAT) developed to aid automotive interior designers, engineers and planners to achieve the high levels of perceived quality of materials used in automotive door trim panels. The model requires a number of inputs related to types of materials, their manufacturing processes and customer perceived quality ratings, costs and importance of materials, features located in different areas of the door trim panel, etc. It allows the user to conduct iterative evaluation of total cost, total weighted customer perceived quality ratings, and estimates of perceived value (perceived quality divided by cost) for different door trim areas as well as the entire door trim panel. The VAT, thus, allows value and cost management related to materials and processing choices for automotive interiors.

This paper presents quantitative effects of windshield veiling glare on the visibility of targets based on a two part research project. The first part involved measurement and modeling of luminance of veiling glare caused by the reflection of different instrument panel materials under range of conditions defined by combination of windshield angle, instrument panel angle, and sun angle. In the second part, the veiling glare model was incorporated in a visibility prediction model based on visual contrast threshold data. A critical visibility condition of a driver approaching a tunnel with the sunlight falling on his windshield and attempting to detect a target inside the tunnel was studied by conducting sensitivity analyses. The sensitivity analysis showed that a 2 ft diameter 10% reflectance target illuminated by 5000 lux of lighting inside a tunnel visibility distances can be seen from 0 to 3,000 feet depending upon driver's age, vehicle design parameters and sun illumination levels.

This paper presents results of a five phase study conducted to evaluate touch feel and appearance of door armrest materials. Seven different production door armrests with different material characteristics such as softness, smoothness, compressibility, texture, etc. were evaluated. In the first phase, the subjects seated in a vehicle buck in their preferred seating position with the armrests adjusted at their preferred heights, provided ratings on a number of touch feel and appearance of the door armrest materials using 5-point semantic differential scales. In the second phase, the armrests were presented to each subject in all possible pairs and they were asked to select preferred armrest material in each pair.