Ford Motor Co. is using technology created by Pennsylvania-based Ansys in its predictive smart headlights.
The system uses real-time location data to direct beams into upcoming turns to allow motorists to see better around corners and respond to hazards.
“The predictive accuracy of Ansys simulations yield a variety of significant benefits for our team, from being able to engineer for edge case scenarios to less late-night road tests,” Michael Koherr, Ford of Europe advanced lighting research engineer, said. “With the ability to truly gauge system performance in a virtual environment, we’re able to identify opportunities to improve our product well before entering the physical testing stage. Simulation has and will continue to play a critical role in our quest of making driving at night as safe and easy as during the day.”
Ford is using Ansys’ AVxcelerate Headlamp solution to optimize performance in a virtual environment. The solution features real-time, physics-based optical simulation and driver-in-the-loop functionality to replicate the physical world with a high degree of predictive accuracy.
By using existing technologies, Ford did not need to rely heavily on building and testing physical prototypes.
Ford’s engineers use insights from the simulations to improve product design before the physical headlamp prototypes are available.
Headquartered south of Pittsburgh, Ansys is an engineering simulation company.