A New Generation Knowledge Based Engineering Computer Mannequin for Use in Automotive Packaging

This paper introduces the use of rule-based mannequin systems for packaging and ergonomic use. A brief survey of existing mannequin systems is given, followed by an automotive packaging example using a rule-based mannequin. The rule-based approach, using an object-oriented engineering environment commonly referred to as Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE), allows a large population of differing mannequins to be used for the automated generation or analysis of packages. The approach also supports such applications by being general use, rather than domain specific.