Windshield Wiper System Design by Computer Graphics

The Chevrolet Engineering Center has developed a Computer Graphics Design System (CGDS) having extensive industrial design capabilities. This paper describes how the system is used for designing windshields and windshield wiper systems by using automatic drafting machine techniques combined with a graphics computer approach. As applied to this paper, the system’s capabilities include windshield surfacing, eye range contour development, eye range area calculation, wiper pattern development, and calculation of the actual area wiped. By comparing CGDS to manual drafting methods, the results indicate that the CGDS approach is a commercially practical concept of design that has many substantial economic advantages over conventional drafting methods.