The H-point (or hip-point) is the theoretical, relative location of an occupant's hip: specifically the pivot point between the torso and upper leg portions of the body — as used in vehicle design, automotive design and 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, e.g. h-point to vehicle floor (H30) 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 50th

percentile In statistics, a ''k''-th percentile (percentile score or centile) is a score ''below which'' a given percentage ''k'' of scores in its frequency distribution falls (exclusive definition) or a score ''at or below which'' a given percentage fall ...

male occupant, viewed laterally, and is highly relevant to national and international vehicle design standards such as global technical regulations (GTR). For example, a vehicle design standard known as the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1100 Interior Measurement Index sets parameters for such measurements as H30 (H-point to vehicle floor); H5 (H-point to pavement surface), H61 (H-point to interior ceiling) and H25 (H-point to window sill). 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, driver fatigue, ease of entry and exit, interior packaging,

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly di ...

, restraint and airbag design and collision performance. As an example, higher H-points can provide more legroom, both in the front and back seats. By the early 2000s there had been a global trend toward higher H-points ''relative'' to the road surface and the vehicle's interior floor. Referring to the trend in a 2004 article, ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' noted 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". Buses,

minivan Minivan (sometimes called simply as van) is a North American car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe is ...

s, SUVs and CUVs generally have higher H-points (relative to the road surface and the vehicle interior floor) than sedans, though certain sedans feature higher H-points than most, e.g., the Ford Five Hundred, Fiat 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 called stadium seating, as in the Dodge Journey, and

Ford Flex The Ford Flex is a full-size crossover SUV or wagon that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company; a single generation was produced from the 2009 to 2019 model years. Introduced as the successor to the Ford Taurus X, the model line also fu ...

. Vehicle interior ergonomics are integral to an automotive design education. The Society 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-point

mannequin A mannequin (also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off different fabrics and textiles. ...

for 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 for crash test dummy positioning. Regulatory definition: For the purpose of U.S. regulation and GTRs (Global Technical Regulations) – and for clear communication in safety and seating design – the H-point is defined as the actual hip point of the seated crash test dummy itself, whereas the R-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.

References

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External links

SAE Three Dimensional H-Point Engineering Aid Support
Automotive design Automotive styling features

See also

References

External links